Reese Witherspoon introduces Lexi Minetree as next Elle Woods for 'Legally Blonde' series

Forget about law school entrance exams. One actress proved she has the Elle Woods savvy.

Lexi Minetree has been cast as a younger version of the sorority girl turned law student for Prime Video's upcoming "Legally Blonde" prequel series "Elle." Reese Witherspoon, who portrayed Woods in the original 2001 comedy, announced Minetree's casting in an Instagram post Thursday.

"Allow me to introduce you to the new Elle Woods!" Witherspoon wrote. "After watching so many incredible auditions for the new Elle prequel series on @PrimeVideo, we finally found our Elle."

Witherspoon's post also included a sweet video of the actress breaking the good news to her successor in person. Witherspoon, wearing a hot pink cardigan reminiscent of Woods' signature attire, greeted Minetree with a hug before telling her, "We had to make a really hard decision the other day."

"We wanted to tell you in person because you've just worked really hard," Witherspoon continued. "And we just wanted to tell you that you don't have to audition anymore because you got the part. You're Elle Woods."

Upon hearing the news, a visibly emotional Minetree asked Witherspoon if she could hug her in celebration. The pair then took a moment to call Minetree's mother, who remarked that the actresses' voices sounded "exactly alike." "When I saw her tape I was like, 'Are we the same person?' This is so weird," Witherspoon added.

Minetree, who has appeared in various short films since 2016, starred in the 2023 Tubi film "The Murdaugh Murders" and scored a guest-starring role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2024.

Last spring, Amazon Prime Video confirmed to USA TODAY that a "Legally Blonde" series was in development with Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine company (under Candle Media) producing the show alongside "Gossip Girl" creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's production company Fake Empire and Amazon MGM Studios.

Prime Video shared more details about the spin-off in May 2024, revealing the show would be a prequel series titled "Elle." The streaming title will follow Woods in high school "as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love" in the original movie, Prime Video said.

Laura Kittrell ("Insecure") is the creator and showrunner for "Elle," with Witherspoon serving as an executive producer. The series currently does not have a release date, according to the show's IMDb page.

In "Legally Blonde," based on the Amanda Brown novel of the same name, Witherspoon's Elle Woods enrolls at Harvard Law School to win her boyfriend back. The Golden Globe-nominated film, which starred Selma Blair and Luke Wilson, grossed $141.8 million worldwide.

Witherspoon reprised the role in 2003's "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," which also grossed over $100 million at the box office. A spin-off, "Legally Blondes," was released in 2009 but did not star Witherspoon, and a "Legally Blonde" stage musical opened in 2007.

In recent years, Witherspoon expressed a desire to return in a third "Legally Blonde" film. "Legally Blonde 3" was even announced in 2018 for a planned 2020 release that never happened.

Contributing: Naledi Ushe and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY