The original feminist icon is back! MGM recently announced that, after 15 years, Elle Woods is finally returning to the big screen with the third installment of the amazing Legally Blonde saga. The film is set to open on Valentine’s Day, 2020.
After becoming the most fabulous lawyer at Harvard in the first movie and then finding her way into Washington politics in the sequel, what’s the next step for our pink heroine to take? Well, it’s pretty obvious that we are looking at the next President of the United States of America.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous President of the United States
Reese Witherspoon’s character has seen a lot of growth since the first Legally Blonde film. She evolved from a conceited rich white girl into an empowered woman who does everything her own way without compromising her ideals.
The last scene of Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde clearly points us in the direction of the White House. But while it may seem like the next logical step in the franchise, the race to for the presidency won’t be an easy one for our heroine.
But, what exactly should we expect from this third installment?
The White House Definitely Needs a Touch of Pink
Even when the Legally Blonde franchise is seen as comedy, the writers behind it have always found a way to shed some light on social issues like female empowerment, unethical treatment of animals, and even the LGBTQ community.
But while the actual plot is still unknown, if the movie were to play it smart, the best thing to do would be to show Elle as a mature and smart congresswoman who decides to become the next President of the United States to fight social injustice.
Our heroine will likely discover that women are not easily accepted in positions of power. She’ll have to work twice as hard as her opponent(s) to prove to the masses, other politicians, and even to herself that she deserves to be the next president. And Elle’s husband, Emmet, will need to be 200% more supportive to help tackle all the things Elle is going to face.
A stereotypical misogynistic male politician is probably going to be the villain of choice for Legally Blonde 3. As such, he will probably try to show that Elle, just by being a woman, is less capable than him of being president. He will probably oppose her with everything he has, including dirty, underhanded, and potentially unethical tactics.
The Social Relevance of a Modern Elle Woods
While strong female movie icons like Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor have surfaced in the past, recent years have seen a refreshing lineup of kickass women like Wonder Woman, Okoye, Lara Croft, and Dr Elizabeth Shaw. However, these great role models and examples of empowered women, sci-fi heroines, and superheroes aren’t examples that everyone can follow because of their particular, and sometimes fictional, careers.
In an era where social campaigns like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter are a reality many decide to ignore, a real and approachable feminist icon who works hard to achieve her goals with sheer determination and will is as important as it could ever be.
Elle has never shied away from hard work, confronting powerful men and getting her point across. And that’s definitely the kind of president most of us would love to see gracing our screens.
Is Legally Blonde 3 Too Late?
Even as this sequel comes more than 15 years late, many factors can instill new life into the iconic franchise. A good script and a more realistic and approachable characterization of Elle Woods are going to be the most important elements that will make or break the film.
First and foremost, the cast in this one is also going to be pivotal. Some of the old tropes that previous films relied on, like the dumb blonde or the flamboyantly gay guy, aren’t going to fly this time around. These stereotypes will look bad in the eyes of an audience with high hopes for the movie but who are also more aware and critical of these problematic elements in Hollywood. Likewise, if writers tackle social issues, fans will expect diverse representation of queer, black, and Latino social fighters too.
Not least important is that the movie is to be released in the year of the next US presidential elections. As if that wasn’t enough, the film will also compete against unnamed projects by DC and Disney as well as Nimoma.
Legally Blonde 3 clearly has a lot of potential. But the movie will have to go big and make the right decisions or go home without a chance.
