Recently, the upcoming film Mean Girls was bumped up to a theatrical release set for early 2024. The movie, adapted from the Broadway musical that was inspired by the cult 2004 teen comedy, was originally set to release directly onto streaming on Paramount Plus.
The new Mean Girls, much like the film that served as its source material, was penned by the iconic comedian Tina Fey, who originally drew inspiration from Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, a non-fiction book for parents of adolescents. The musical was composed by Jeff Richmond, Fey’s husband and the composer of 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the lyrics were written by Nell Benjamin, best known for the musical adaptation of Legally Blonde.
‘Mean Girls’ movie release date
Mean Girls recently confirmed that it will be releasing in theaters on Jan. 12th, 2024 over the four-day MLK Day weekend. Originally destined for Paramount Plus, the adaptation will debut on the big screen before hitting streaming. The announcement came as a surprise, given that the only trailer we’ve been given so far is a teaser at best and isn’t even on YouTube yet. Principal photography is said to have begun in May 2023, making for an unusually quick production.
The new ‘Mean Girls’ cast
As for the new movie’s cast, Angourie Rice of Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy is stepping into Lindsay Lohan’s former role as protagonist Cady Heron. Reneé Rapp, perhaps best known for the comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls, is reprising her Broadway role as Regina George and will be joined by series co-star Avantika Vandanapu, who will play fellow Plastic Karen Shetty (formerly Karen Smith). Bebe Wood of The New Normal and Love, Victor completes the clique as Gretchen Wieners.
Tina Fey will reprise her role as Ms. Norbury, as will Tim Meadows in the role of Principal Duvall. Auliʻi Cravalho, best known for the titular voice role in Moana, will portray Janis I’mi’ike (formerly Janis Ian, as played by Lizzy Caplan) and is joined by Tony Award nominee Jaquel Spivey as best friend Damian Hubbard. Other famous faces in the cast include Jon Hamm as Coach Carr, Jenna Fischer as Cady’s mother, Busy Phillipps as Mrs. George, and Tony nominee (and original Broadway Mean Girls cast member) Ashley Park in a yet-to-be-disclosed role.
Is the plot of the new ‘Mean Girls’ the same as the original?
If the teaser trailer, which played in movie theaters ahead of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Movie, is any indication, then yes, the new movie will feature an identical plot to the original. We have further evidence of this in a line sung by Rapp in the trailer ⏤ the same line Regina sings when she’s first introduced in the Broadway musical: “My name is Regina George.” This heavily implies that the new movie will stay true to the musical, which of course remained faithful to Fey’s original film.
For the uninitiated, both Mean Girls and its musical counterpart revolve around Cady Heron, a socially awkward and naive mathlete who recently moved back to the U.S. from Africa. After a life of homeschooling, Cady quickly learns from two new friends ⏤ social outcasts Janis and Damian ⏤ the social structure of the American high school, and more importantly, how to survive it. Cady is soon embraced by “The Plastics,” a trio of the most popular girls in school, led by Queen Bee Regina George. Janis and Damian support this surprising new friendship as a scheme to bring The Plastics down, but things get complicated when Cady starts to enjoy the perks of being at the top of the social food chain. Cady’s attempt to balance the two worlds inevitably leads to disaster, especially when the Plastics’ Burn Book ⏤ a notebook in which they write cruel words about their fellow students ⏤ is unleashed into the wild.
With a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, 2024’s Mean Girls is an hour longer than the movie it is based on. Much of this runtime is due to the inclusion of full-length songs and dance numbers. In addition, greater emphasis is put on its supporting characters, notably Regina and the Plastics, with much more fleshed-out ⏤ and generally more sympathetic ⏤ character arcs, especially for Gretchen.
Similarly, Janis and Damian, Cady’s two authentic friends in the movie, have more expanded roles, essentially serving as narrators in the stage musical ⏤ something that could easily be carried into the movie musical. Damian in particular is given much more depth in the musical adaptation, especially in regards to his sexuality and self-discovery as a gay man.
Additionally, the adaptation embraces social media and technology more than the original film (which is heavily reflected in some of the musical’s lyrics), which makes sense given how far both have come since 2004. In turn, some of the more controversial material in the original, such as racist jokes and the affair between Coach Carr and a student, have mostly been scrubbed from the musical.
Fans of the original can enjoy the new Mean Girls when it struts into theaters Jan. 12th, 2024.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated from its original version to reflect new information about Mean Girls, formerly believed to be called Mean Girls: The Musical.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
