SUBMITTED BY SpySoldier

November 9, 2001 — "Ever since "Legally Blonde" debuted atop the box office last July, becoming one of the summer's surprise hits, there have been rumblings that either a sequel and/or a TV series based on the movie were brewing.

Produced for $18 million, the Reese Witherspoon vehicle earned $95.4 million at the domestic box office, on track to become one of the most profitable pictures in MGM's history, making a follow-up of some kind a no-brainer.

Now, as the perky comedy bows on DVD, a theatrical sequel simply titled "Legally Blonde 2" has been officially greenlighted, MGM confirmed to Zap2it.com. Though neither Witherspoon or a director have been signed yet, Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake (TV's "The Nanny") have been tapped to pen the script. The TV series is in the works as well.

Ahlert and Drake have two romantic comedies in development, "London Calling" and "Down With Love," to which Renee Zellweger is attached. Back in August, it was reported that the original "Blonde" screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith were being courted to return, but that didn't come to fruition.

The naturally blonde Witherspoon has agreed to supervise script development and, subject to script approval, is expected to star. Should she return, her fee would be exponentially higher than the $1 million she earned for the first film, the success of which having escalated her general asking price into the $5 million range."