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Get in, loser — the Mean Girls musical movie is near. The classic young adult comedy has had an entire generation in a chokehold from the moment it premiered in 2004. The film was later adapted into a Broadway musical, which is now also getting its own movie. Yes, folks, we kinda have another High School Musical: The Musical: The Series scenario on our hands, just a little less meta.
The screen adaption of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical, which is currently being referred to as Mean Girls, sort of like a reboot, was first confirmed to be in development back in 2020. The film is now moving full steam ahead and will arrive on the big screen sooner than you think — so here's everything you need to know before then, including the trailer, cast, release date, and more.
Is there a Mean Girls musical movie trailer?
The trailer for the Mean Girls musical movie was first released ahead of Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour concert movie, and was only available to watch through fan-uploaded clips on social media. But on Wednesday, November 8, Paramount released the longer, official trailer to the public.
The first full trailer is set to Olivia Rodrigo's “Get Him Back!" and starts out with the warning: “This is not your mother's Mean Girls.” We get our first glimpse of Reneé Rapp as Queen Bee Regina George — wearing the character's now-iconic “R” initial necklace — the return of the hot pink Burn Book, Damian and Janis in all their bestie glory, Cady being awkward towards her crush Aaron Samuels, the disastrous “Jingle Bell Rock” performance at the Winter Talent Show, aaaand Regina’s unforgettable “Get in, loser.” The only thing missing, it seems, is the original music from the film. Interesting?
Paramount must have taken the feedback on social media in stride, because on November 15, the studio released the “Regina's Version” of the trailer, which includes Reneé Rapp's (iconic) sung introduction as Regina George that was leaked earlier this month. All is right with the world.
When is Mean Girls coming out?
The film was first expected to premiere directly via Paramount+, but Deadline confirmed on September 22, 2023, that Mean Girls will premiere in theaters on January 12, 2024, coinciding with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend.
What will the Mean Girls musical movie be about?
Much like the 2004 version, the new Mean Girls musical movie will follow the story of Cady Heron, a teenage student who's just arrived at a new high school in suburban Illinois after growing up in the African savanna with her two research zoologist parents. After scheming with the school's “misfits,” Cady does everything and more to fit in with The Plastics, the most popular trio at North Shore High, led by queen bee Regina George.
However, since it's adapted from the 2018 Broadway musical, you can expect a lot of the dialogue and plot development to happen through songs. All three versions of Mean Girls — film, stage, and musical movie — have been penned by Tina Fey, and this new musical movie iteration will be co-produced by Lorne Michaels and directed by Arturo Perez and Samantha Jayne.
While appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Fey teased the songs in the movie will be a lot more “pop” than the ones in the musical, though. “In Broadway, everything has to play to the back of the house, and in movies, everything can come back in and things can play really intimately,” she explained. “We have a very cool directing team, a very cool choreographer. It's going to be [great].”
Fey also confirmed to Meyers that Mean Girls began filming on March 6, 2023, and the movie reportedly wrapped filming in New Jersey sometime in April.
Who is in the cast of the Mean Girls musical movie?
The cast of the Mean Girls musical movie is led by Angourie Rice, an Australian actress who will be taking on the lead role of Cady Heron. You might recognize her from her role as Betty Brant in Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy.
Auli’i Cravalho, best known for Disney's Moana, and Jaquel Spivey, a Tony- and Grammy-nominated Broadway actor, will play Janis and Damian, respectively.
On The Plastics side of things, Sex Lives of College Girls alum Reneé Rapp will be stepping into Regina George's shoes for the second time. (She previously took on the iconic role on Broadway.) She will be joined by Avantika Vandanapu (who also had a brief appearance on SLOCG) as Karen, and Love, Victor's Bebe Wood as Gretchen.
The Summer I Turned Pretty's Christopher Briney will play Aaron Samuels, while American Born Chinese's Mahi Alam will portray a new iteration of Kevin G, whose last name is Ganatra, not Gnapoor.
The familiar faces don't stop there, though. ‘00’s rom-com darling Busy Phillips is joining the cast as Regina's mom, Mrs. George; The Office's Jenna Fischer will play Cady's mom, Mrs. Heron; Mad Men superstar Jon Hamm will take on the role of Coach Carr; and comedian Connor Ratliff is reportedly joining as a new teacher character named Mr. Rapp, per Deadline.
On top of all that, Ashley Park, one of the original Broadway cast members who stayed until the show closed — and whom you might recognize from Emily in Paris — has also joined the cast in a new role as a teacher named Madame Park.
Will any of the original Mean Girls cast members be a part of the musical movie?
Yes! Tina Fey, the mastermind behind everything Mean Girls as we know it, will reprise her role as Ms. Norbury, and so will comedian Tim Meadows as Principal Duval. Fey confirmed the news during an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers in early 2023. “Teachers work forever. I want it to be like when Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island would be at a trade show and you’d be like, ‘Oh, he looks so old in his little hat.’ That’s my goal," she joked when she revealed her involvement.
While those are the only confirmed returns, plenty of actors from the original movie have publicly stated they are down for a cameo. Rachel McAdams, who played Regina George in the original film, teased that she'd be down for a cameo if Fey could figure out a way to make it work organically in a recent interview. “I don’t see a way to shoehorn us in,” she told Bustle, but “if Tina can figure it out, I’m there, for sure.” Previously, Amanda Seyfried, the OG Karen, also openly admitted she was “very open” to joining the project if the opportunity presented itself. Again, nothing is confirmed, but we definitely suggest keeping an eye out.
Will the Mean Girls musical movie be available on streaming platforms?
It's safe to assume that Mean Girls will also eventually be made available on Paramount+, the platform where it was supposed to debut, after its theatrical release. However, Paramount has yet to confirm any further distribution plans or dates.
Are there any first-look photos of Mean Girls?
On the same day of the trailer's official release, Paramount released 9 first-look photos to get fans excited about our imminent return to North Shore High School.
