Reese Witherspoon To Return For Election Sequel Tracy Flick Can't Win At Paramount+
"Election" is one of those classic movies that, unfortunately, get misinterpreted far too often. The number of times I've seen people try to argue that schoolteacher Jim (Matthew Broderick) isn't portrayed as an obsessive creep, or that the film's complex framing of high schooler Tracy (Reese Witherspoon) isn't intentional is far too many to count. At the same time, however, the fact that it is so morally grey is why it is still so interesting to watch and has garnered such a passionate following.
This exact fanbase, then, will likely be glad to hear that we'll be catching up with Tracy Flick once more in the near future. Paramount Pictures has announced that a sequel to "Election," titled "Tracy Flick Can't Win," has been greenlit for Paramount+ and will see Witherspoon reprise her famous role. She is also expected to serve as an executive producer on the film under her Hello Sunshine banner alongside Lauren Neustadter. Alexander Payne, who directed "Election" and other critical hits like "The Descendants" and "Nebraska," will also be returning to direct and co-write the sequel. Rounding up the returns are Payne's screenwriting collaborator Jim Taylor and original producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa.
Staying number one
Both "Election" and "Tracy Flick Can't Win" are based on novels by Tom Perrotta, who also produced the films. The latter was released in June of 2022 and follows, you guessed it, Tracy Flick as a middle-aged high school assistant principal. The film adaptation is expected to follow closely to the book, which centers around Tracy's increasingly desperate attempts for a promotion after her boss unexpectedly retires. That certainly sounds like the Tracy I remember!
If we're being honest, legacy sequels in modern media are about to run their course. It seems like so many old movies and television shows are being revived for modern times, picking up where fans last saw these characters. Unfortunately, what started off as an interesting concept has quickly turned into a cheap and lazy form of storytelling. However, there's something about "Tracy Flick Can't Win" that is intriguing despite its legacy sequel status. Perhaps it's the nuances of Tracy's character or the pitch-dark humor the book and film are known for that make a potential sequel actually interesting. It also helps that almost all of the main players, sans Broderick, from the 1999 adaptation will be returning — the character of Jim is not included in the original novel, so his inclusion would, admittedly, not make much sense narratively.
"Tracy Flick Can't Win" does not yet have a release date for Paramount+, but will likely start production sometime in 2023.