Mindy Kaling may run her own media empire but even she can be intimidated.
In a recent interview with TODAY, she explained why writing the screenplay for the third "Legally Blonde" film has been stressful.
The original 2001 romantic comedy, starring Reese Witherspoon, featured California sorority girl Elle Woods try to save her romantic relationship by following her boyfriend to Harvard Law School. She doesn't get the guy (at least, not the original boyfriend) but does find a love for the law and ends up graduating at the top of her class and becoming a lawyer. The second film shows Woods' first foray into Washington, D.C., as she works for a congresswoman and tries to pass a bill that bans animal testing, in honor of her dog Bruiser's mother.
Kaling, who spoke with TODAY at an event sponsored by Zelle to promote a summer cash giveaway, is working on the screenplay with "Brooklyn 99" and "Parks and Recreation" alum Dan Goor. She said they plan to turn in a draft to Witherspoon this summer.
"You know, it’s it’s one of those projects where it takes longer than other things because we just don’t want to mess it up," she said. "The character is so beloved."
Kaling added that she's been with Witherspoon in "places like Wellington, New Zealand, and have people come up to her quoting 'Legally Blonde.'"
"She’ll go to all over the world and it’s such an iconic character," she said. "So I when I see that, of course it is so scary. It’s like her 'Avengers' character."
"I just don’t want to mess it up."
She said that she and Goor have been just "trying to honor the character" and are also working to make sure Jennifer Coolidge's iconic character, Paulette Bonafonté, also has "an awesome part."
"I think it’s an intimidating project for us to work on," she said with a laugh.
The film, Kaling said, will focus on Witherspoon's upbeat, pink-loving Woods in the present day. She didn't give away any details except to say that we'll see how things turned out for the fashion merchandising major turned lawyer.
"We're interested in seeing what Elle Woods was like now that she is 40," she said. "Like, what is her life now?"
