The return of the Minions and Haruki Murakami’s new book—currently available only in Japanese—are two of this week’s cultural highlights, which also includes the premiere of “Elle,” a series that serves as a prequel to “Legally Blonde.”
‘Minions & Monsters’
Following the success of *Despicable Me 4*, which was the fourth highest-grossing film worldwide in 2024, the hilarious Minions return alongside new characters in what is the seventh feature film in this series, which alternates between Gru’s adventures and those of the Minions.
A new installment premiering on July 1 in half the world, telling the wild story of how these yellow creatures conquered Hollywood and became movie stars. They lost everything, unleashed monsters on the world, and ultimately came together again in an attempt to save the planet from the disaster they themselves had created.
‘The Tale of Kaho,’ the new book by Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is publishing “The Tale of Kaho” in Japanese; it will hit bookstores on July 3. It is his first novel with a female protagonist and is based on previously published short stories about the character. The book comes three years after “The City and Its Uncertain Walls.”
Shinchosha Publishing explained that the novel, which will be 352 pages long, is based on the short story “Kaho,” published in 2024, which Murakami read to an audience at Waseda University that same year. The book will be published in Spanish by Tusquets Editores in the spring of 2027.
‘Elle,’ the prequel to ‘Legally Blonde’
When “Legally Blonde” was released in 2001, no one thought this lighthearted comedy starring Reese Witherspoon would become such a huge hit. Now, the series *Elle* takes us back to 1995, with Elle Woods at her high school in Seattle before she enters Harvard University.
Lexi Minetree stars in this project, which will be available on Prime Video starting July 1; the streaming service has already renewed the series for a second season. It is also the final project featuring James Van Der Beek (“Dawson’s Creek”), who passed away in February, in which he plays an ambitious mayoral candidate, according to Agencia EFE.