Past lives: from Legally Blonde to Elle and the trend for television prequels
Ahead of the launch of Prime Video’s Elle, DQ picks out six other prequels that go back in time to tell the origin stories of some of our favourite characters, from the psycho living in Bates Motel to the queen of Bridgerton. Twenty-five years after Legally Blonde introduced Elle Woods on the big screen, the character made famous by Reese Witherspoon is coming to television for the first time. The film introduces Elle, a sorority girl who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by following him to Harvard Law School, where she must overcome sexism and stereotypes to become a successful lawyer. Now a new Prime Video series called Elle, which debuts on Wednesday, travels back in time to 1995 to find Elle in high school, where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romances and questionable fashion choices. The prequel sees Elle played by Lexi Minetree. Witherspoon is also an executive producer on the series, which is produced by her Hello Sunshine label and Amazon MGM Studios. It is created by Laura Kittrell, who is the co-showrunner with Caroline Dries. The cast also includes June Diane Raphael as Elle’s mother Eva and Tom Everett Scott as her father Wyatt, alongside Jacob Moskovitz, Gabrielle Policano, Chandler Kinney, Zac Looker and Amy Pietz. Elle isn’t alone in having her own prequel series as the industry continues to explore the past lives of beloved screen characters. Sex & the City’s Carrie Bradshaw also goes to high school in The Carrie Diaries; NCIS: Origins follows … Continue reading Past lives: from Legally Blonde to Elle and the trend for television prequels
