This makes us want to see Legally Blonde 3 real bad!
Almost two years after Mindy Kaling was announced as the co-writer of the highly-anticipated sequel, the multi-hyphenate gave an update into her screenwriting process during an exclusive chat with E! News. While on the set of her PSA shoot with for PanCAN, an organization that aims to improve the lives of those impacted by pancreatic cancer, the ever-so busy star said that some aspects of the film are "still in development," though she does have plans for Jennifer Coolidge's iconic Paulette Parcelle character.
After all, according to Mindy, she "loved" Jennifer's critically-acclaimed performance in The White Lotus. She explained, "Obviously, Paulette was just like so integral to the to the whole franchise but once we saw [The White Lotus] we were like, 'Ooh, we really want to make sure that she has something really juicy to do.'"
As for Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods? "I've always thought of Elle Woods is like Reese's Avengers," Mindy shared. "She gets recognized everywhere in the world."
And while Reese and Jennifer are the only names officially attached to the movie right now, fans can expect to see a diverse cast of characters added to the Legally Blonde cinematic universe.
"There's definitely gonna be a lot of new faces in the movie," dished Mindy, who is working alongside Reese's Hello Sunshine production company for the film. "Reflecting the world as it is now is something that's really important to Reese, and so having there be like diversity is super, super important. You can definitely count on that."
But the follow-up film isn't the only thing Mindy has in the works. The 42-year-old actress and writer is also the proud creator of Netflix's Never Have I Ever and HBO Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls, which have been respectively renewed for a third and second season. Additionally, she is gearing up for the PanCAN PurpleStride on April 30, 2022, which will help raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer research.
"I definitely plan on taking a group and fundraising for it," she said. "I think that would be just so much fun—and it's the best time of year."
PanCAN, the charity behind the nationwide in-person walking event, is something close to Mindy's heart. When her mother Swati Chokalingam, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012, was first diagnosed with the disease, the Office alum "literally went to their website" for support and guidance.
"When my mom was diagnosed, we hadn't even known anyone who had any cancer," she recalled. "We were not at all in the in the know. So, going through all of that with such a devastating cancer and learning about chemo and radiation and clinical trials [is] the reason I love PanCAN so much."
For president and CEO Julie Fleshman, whose dad died four months after his diagnosis, the goal is to help families like Mindy's feel prepared and less alone. "Twenty years ago, there was no information. There were no resources. We were not empowered to be able to make decisions," she told E!. "Today, patients and families really can be empowered through PanCan. While we still have a lot of work to do, we have made progress and there are options so patients should know they should not give up."
Mindy went on to explain how her relationship with her mom has helped shape her perspective as a parent to daughter Katherine, 4, and son Spencer, 17 months, who sadly never got to meet their grandmother.
"There's a lot of similarities between her and me," she shared. "I definitely see what some of her frustrations were or things that she would like complain about. Those are annoying to me as well. I totally get it now."
But Mindy went on to say that those "triggers" can contribute to some of "the joys" of parenting.
"You feel closer to your parents because you feel like you understand them better," she said. "Going through motherhood by myself, one of the best things about it is that I have that like, ‘Man, I did not anticipate this' … I didn't anticipate that I'd become closer to my mom, even when she's not here. It's been so, so nice and really unexpected."