Reese Witherspoon Teases Tracy Flick’s Return In ‘Election’ Sequel

It’s been 25 years since she starred as everybody’s favorite overachiever Tracy Flick in “Election,” director Alexander Payne’s beloved adaptation of Tom Perotta’s novel of the same name.

Witherspoon, of course, has gone on to have an illustrious career as both an actor and producer since then, but there’s fewer characters who’ve endured in our cultural memory than the uber-ambitious, headband-sporting high schooler.

That’s why the star’s recent comments have some fans buzzing that she might reprise the role, especially on the heels of the release of the new sequel novel, “Tracy Flick Can’t Win,” which picks up with the character as an adult.

Witherspoon cryptically teased that among the “dozen projects in various stages of development” she’s attached to, there’s one that she “can’t really talk about.”

The star didn’t reveal any additional details, except to mention that she’s “reprising a character I played a long time ago.”

Perotta’s new novel “Tracy Flick Can’t Win,” which was released last month, could very well be the source material for the project Witherspoon hinted at.

The sequel novel follows a middle-aged Flick as an assistant principal at a suburban New Jersey high school who has eyes for the top job after the longtime principal announces his retirement. Backstabbing and campaign hijinks naturally ensue in the novel, which chronicles “the second act of one of the most memorable characters of our time,” per the publisher.

Only adding fuel to the fire, Perotta confirmed in a Wall Street Journal interview published last month that indeed “early discussions are underway” with Witherspoon’s team and Paramount about a “possible screen version” of the new novel.

The author revealed that he could hear Witherspoon’s “voice in his head as he thought about the character and wrote the sequel.”

The book’s release and Witherspoon’s recent tease naturally spurred some online buzz about the actor reprising the role.

Witherspoon, of course, has nostalgia on the brain, as she prepares for the long-awaited third “Legally Blonde” movie, in which she’ll reprise her role as Elle Woods.

“I’m still hoping that ‘Legally Blonde 3’ is gonna come together in the right way,” Witherspoon told USA Today, noting that the recent “Top Gun” sequel served as major inspiration for the creative team.

“They waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated in it,” she continued. “So definitely that gave us a lot of inspiration about what we would want to do with Elle Woods and make sure that we had all those same touchstones that mattered to people (back) then.”

Witherspoon added: “I feel like these characters are my friends, so I safeguard them. I would never make the subpar, mediocre version of their story.”

It’s safe to say that she feels the same way when it comes to Tracy Flick.