Legally Blonde 3 is about to become a new Mindy project. Former The Office star Mindy Kaling and Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor are reportedly working on MGM’s long-awaited third movie featuring Reese Witherspoon as attorney Elle Woods. The two writers are reportedly putting a new spin on the script, which was first written by Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Karen McCullah, who wrote the original Legally Blonde.
The new movie was first announced back in 2018 and still does not have a director. Goor and Kaling were hired to give a “new fresh spin” on McCullah and Smith’s script but are not entirely making it over from the ground up, Deadline reports. Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Platt Productions President Adam Siegel are producing the film.
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The first Legally Blonde was based on Amanda Brown’s novel and hit theaters in 2001, with Robert Luketic directing. Witherspoon returned for the 2003 sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. The franchise also inspired the 2009 direct-to-video sequel Legally Blondes, which centered on Elle’s cousins, and the 2007 Broadway musical Legally Blonde. In 2008, MTV aired a reality TV series about finding a new actress to play Elle on Broadway, with Bailey Hanks earning the gig.
Goor and Kaling’s hiring is the first significant news for the third movie since MGM announced it. In October, Witherspoon revealed her wish list of returning co-stars, although none have signed on. She told Entertainment Tonight the film is “just a development project” at that time, but hoped Jennifer Coolidge, Luke Wilson and Selma Blair could come back.
Kaling is best known for playing Kelly on The Office and earned five Emmy nominations as executive producer and a sixth for co-writing the beloved “Niagara” episode. She also created and starred in The Mindy Project, which ran on Fox and Hulu from 2012 to 2017. She also executive produced Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral and co-created the new Netflix sitcom Never Have I Ever. She recently worked with Witherspoon on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and wrote the Amazon movie Late Night.
As for Goor, he is an Emmy winner for his work on The Daily Show and Late Night With Conan O’Brien. He co-created NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Michael Schur and was an executive producer on Parks and Recreation. He is also working with Kaling on a Universal wedding comedy co-starring Priyanka Chopra.
