{"id":415509,"date":"2026-05-07T02:23:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/415509\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T02:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:23:20","slug":"your-first-look-at-elle-the-legally-blonde-prequel-now-to-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/415509\/","title":{"rendered":"Your first look at Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel | Now to Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our editors handpick everything we recommend. We may receive revenue for sharing this content or when you shop through our links. Read more<\/a> here<\/p>\n

More than 20 years after Legally Blonde (2001) and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003), Prime Video has released the the first official teaser trailer<\/a> alongside first-look photos<\/a> for Elle, the highly anticipated prequel series covering lead protagonist Elle Woods\u2019 formative high school years. <\/p>\n

Introduced to the big screen in the same year that \u2018girl power\u2019 was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, Legally Blonde\u2018s Elle Woods is one of those rare film characters who leaves a lasting mark on your worldview.<\/p>\n

Played by Reese Witherspoon in the original films, the loveable Elle is full of unwavering optimism and a strong sense of justice. Although she\u2019s a Delta Nu sorority president with a penchant for the colour pink, she\u2019s proof that you should never judge a book by its cover. In a bid to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner, she aces her LSAT with an impressive score of 179 to secure a place at Harvard Law School. After all, this is the girl who was warned by her career counsellor that she wouldn\u2019t impress the Ivy League admissions committee with a thesis on the \u201cHistory of Polka Dots\u201d.<\/p>\n

Produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with Reese Witherspoon-founded media company Hello Sunshine, the prequel series stars Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods, and will debut exclusively on Prime Video<\/a> on 1 July 2026, with a second season already in the works.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde prequel Elle. <\/p>\n

Read on for everything you need to know about the prequel, including where to watch Elle in New Zealand<\/a>, and a look back at some of the most iconic moments from Legally Blonde<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stream Elle from 1 July 2026 on Prime Video<\/a> with a 7 day FREE trial. Subscribe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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What happens in season 1 of Elle?<\/p>\n

Set during her high school years, Elle follows a younger Elle (played by Lexi Minetree) as she encounters complicated friendships and romances, all while staying true to her unapologetic fashion choices.<\/p>\n

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Through it all, she leans heavily on her parents, particularly her mother Eva, as her trajectory begins to shape the ambition and conviction we see in Legally Blonde.<\/p>\n

Who is Lexi Minetree?<\/p>\n

Stepping into Elle\u2019s pink sparkly heels is Lexi Minetree, an up-and-coming actress hailing from Georgia and a theatre graduate of the University of Southern California.<\/p>\n

Minetree has previously appeared in the television series Law & Order: SVU (2024) and in true-crime (and inspired) plotlines like The Murdaugh Murders, Crowdsource Murder, and The Paramedic Who Stalked Me.<\/p>\n

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Unsurprisingly, Minetree bears numerous parallels to Reese Witherspoon. Both are from the deep south, with a bright, bubbly presence that you can\u2019t help but be drawn towards.<\/p>\n

Who else stars in Elle?<\/p>\n

The season one cast features Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods, June Diane Raphael as Elle\u2019s mother, Eva, and Tom Everett Scott as her father, Wyatt.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re joined by Jacob Moskovitz, Gabrielle Policano, Chandler Kinney, Zac Looker, and Amy Pietz.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elle\u2019s chihuahua Bruiser Woods. <\/p>\n

Other recurring cast members include Jessica Belkin, Danielle Chand, Matt Oberg, Chloe Wepper, Logan Shroyer, Sharon Taylor, David Burtka, Brad Harder, Kayla Maisonet, Lisa Yamada, and James Van Der Beek.<\/p>\n

Does Reese Witherspoon make a cameo in Elle?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s currently no confirmation of an on-screen cameo. However, Witherspoon is heavily involved in shaping the series through her production company, Hello Sunshine, and will no doubt act as a creative custodian of sorts for Elle\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

While there was speculation that Witherspoon\u2019s daughter and doppleganger, Ava Phillippe, who is pursuing a career in acting, would take the role of Elle, she won\u2019t be appearing in the series this time round.<\/p>\n

Watch the Elle teaser trailer: <\/p>\n

Iconic moments from Legally Blonde 1 & 2<\/p>\n

1. Elle Wood\u2019s absurd Harvard video essay showcases a hilarious balance of satire and sincerity, which opens with her wearing a pink bikini while sitting in a hot tub. Highlights include: <\/p>\n

Elle introduces her dog \u201cBruiser Woods\u201d and herself as both being \u201cGemini vegetarians\u201d.<\/p>\n

She showcases her eye for style by proudly recounting how, when seeing Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal, she talked her out of buying a \u201ctruly heinous angora sweater\u201d on the reasoning that \u201cWhoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed\u201d.<\/p>\n

She references her ability to \u201crecall hundreds of important details at the drop of a hat\u201d by recalling the plot detail of yesterday\u2019s Days of Our Lives episode.<\/p>\n

She states she feels \u201ccomfortable using legal jargon in everyday life\u201d by retorting to a wolf whistle with \u201cI object!\u201d<\/p>\n

2. When Elle\u2019s ex-boyfriend Warner is dumfounded that she got admitted to Harvard Law School, she quips back with \u201cWhat, like it\u2019s hard?\u201d, embodying her underdog spirit.<\/p>\n

3. Showing the sometimes irritating side of Elle\u2019s relentless optimism, she introduces a \u201cSnap Cup\u201d to her colleagues in their drab Washington, D.C. office, encouraging them to snap in praise while reading out compliments about each other from a bedazzled cup.<\/p>\n

4. When questioning suspect Chutney Windham in court, Elle cottons on to the fact that she can\u2019t have washed her hair at the time her father was shot because earlier that day she got a perm. Elle references the \u201cfirst cardinal rule of perm maintenance that you\u2019re forbidden to wet your hair for at least 24 hours after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate\u201d, thereby catching Chutney out as the shooter.<\/p>\n

5. In a quest to pass \u201cBruiser\u2019s Bill\u201d to ban animal testing for cosmetics, Elle whips out a \u201cDouble Platinum VVIP VERSACE Preferred Customer identification card\u201d that\u2019s \u201cavailable to only those that\u2019ve shopped on five continents\u201d, in an attempt to bypass security at a top-secret Versace think tank that is, in reality, a lab for cosmetic testing on animals<\/p>\n

Where can I watch Legally Blonde?<\/p>\n

In New Zealand, you can rent, buy or stream Legally Blonde (2001) and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) on Prime Video<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a> and TVNZ+<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Where can I watch Elle in New Zealand?<\/p>\n

Stream Elle from 1 July 2026 on Prime Video<\/a> with a 7 day FREE trial. Subscribe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All the first-look photos from Elle season one: <\/p>\n

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Related articles: <\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Profile\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShopping Editor
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHemma Vara\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Hemma Vara is an experienced lifestyle and fashion journalist who has made her mark at Aotearoa’s leading publications, including as the former Digital Editor for\u00a0Fashion Quarterly\u00a0and\u00a0Denizen. Now the Shopping Editor at Are Media New Zealand, she showcases her talent for staying ahead of the latest fashion and pop culture trends. When she\u2019s not dishing out wardrobe advice or uncovering Auckland’s hottest dining spots, you\u2019ll find her at home, enjoying time with her adorable toddler.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our editors handpick everything we recommend. We may receive revenue for sharing this content or when you shop…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":["post-415509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}