James Van Der Beek has officially signed on to join the upcoming “Legally Blonde” prequel series on Amazon Prime Video. The news was confirmed by Variety, who reported that Van Der Beek will have a recurring guest star role in the series titled “Elle.”
In the show, Van Der Beek will portray Dean Wilson, a character described as “the city’s new Mayoral candidate and current school district superintendent.” This role adds to his impressive resume of portraying characters in high school settings, with notable roles in the hit WB series “Dawson’s Creek” and the iconic high school football film “Varsity Blues.”
The cast of “Elle” also includes Lexi Minetree in the lead role of Elle Woods during her high school years, along with series regulars June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, Gabrielle Policano, Jacob Moskovitz, Chandler Kinney, and Zac Looker. Recurring cast members include Jessica Belkin, Logan Shroyer, Amy Pietz, Matt Ober, Chloe Wepper, David Burtka, Brad Harde, Kayla Maisonet, and Lisa Yamada.
Van Der Beek’s recent television credits include leading the Viceland series “What Would Diplo Do?” and appearances in shows like “Pose” on FX. In the film industry, he has starred in features such as “Sidelined: The QB and Me,” “Bad Hair,” and “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.”
The “Elle” series was greenlit by Amazon in May 2024, with Laura Kittrell creating the show and serving as co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Caroline Dries. Executive producers include Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter of Hello Sunshine, Marc Platt, and director Jason Moore, who will helm the first two episodes. Amazon MGM Studios will produce the series.
Van Der Beek is represented by Independent Artist Group, Novo Entertainment, and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum. Fans can look forward to seeing him bring his talent to the highly anticipated “Legally Blonde” prequel series on Amazon Prime Video.