When a story evolves from a movie into a Broadway musical and then back into a musical movie, you know you have a winner. We're talking about the musical rendition of Mean Girls, which promises to be so fetch. The story of the 2004 comedy Mean Girls, was originally based on a non-fiction self-help book written by Rosalind Wiseman in 2002 called Queen Bees and Wannabees. The book focuses on social cliques in high school and the damage that bullying can inflict on students. It was directed by Mark Waters and written by comedy queen Tina Fey.

The film uses humor to tackle difficult topics like insecurity, betrayal, and revenge, which makes it appealing for youth who may be dealing with these issues in real life. The original stars of the film were Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, two of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. With such a superstar team both in front of and behind the camera, the film earned $128 million at the global box office. It has developed a cult following with nearly every teenage girl in the mid-2000s quoting, “You go Glen Coco!” or “She doesn’t even go here!”.

The film’s popularity led to the creation of Mean Girls the Musical, which opened on Broadway in 2018. The score is modern and bursting with energy, with both a rock and musical theater sound. The show earned 10 Tony nominations but was forced to shut its doors in 2020, with the rest of Broadway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the musical movie adaptation is set to come to the big screen on January 12th, 2024.

Editor's Note: This piece was updated on January 11, 2023.

When Does 'Mean Girls' Come Out?

Mean Girls is scheduled to release on January 12, 2024, which is MLK weekend. The film will be opening against Jeymes Samuels' biblical dramedy The Book of Clarence and David Ayer's action film The Beekeeper.

Will 'Mean Girls' Be in Theaters or on Streaming?

The Mean Girls musical movie was initially announced as a Paramount+ original movie, but in September 2023, it was announced that the film would instead be receiving a theatrical release. The film will receive a streaming release on Paramount+ after its theatrical window concludes. This isn't the first time Paramount has sent one of its films initially meant for streaming to the big screen, as the 2022 horror hit Smile was also initially meant to forgo a theatrical release and head straight to Paramount+.

Is There a Trailer for 'Mean Girls'?

A brief teaser trailer was initially released exclusively in theaters before screenings of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

On November 8, Paramount Pictures released the official trailer for Mean Girls. The two-minute preview is noticeably not set to any of the songs from the musical, but instead is set to Olivia Rodrigo's "Get Him Back."

The final trailer for Mean Girls was released by Paramount Pictures on January 3, 2023, set to "Not My Fault" a new original single from the film sung by Reneé Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion.

On November 15, Paramount Pictures released a 48-second preview titled "Regina's Version" online. The preview was also shown before screenings of The Marvels.

A featurette highlighting the ensemble cast of the new Mean Girls was released by Paramount on December 19, 2023.

A series of Mean Girls character posters were also released in late November, which you can see below:

What Is 'Mean Girls' About?

The plot is the same premise as the original movie and the musical, duh! It follows teen Cady Heron, who arrives at an American high school for the first time. Heron was raised in Africa by her scientist parents and is immediately hit in the face with the realities of social cliques and the challenges of fitting in with her peers. Heron befriends outcasts Janis I'mi'ike and Damian Hubbard who attempt to explain the social hierarchy.

At the top of the pyramid sit the “Plastics”, three of the most popular and pretty girls in school. This trio is headed by “Queen Bee”, Regina George, who rules the school with an iron fist, even to the extent of controlling what color her friends wear on what day. On Wednesdays, they wear pink! The other two Plastics include rich, but insecure Gretchen Wieners and loveable, but air-headed Karen Shetty.

Cady, Janis, and Damian concoct a scheme for Cady to become part of the Plastics when she is invited to sit with them at lunch. But becoming part of the Plastics while maintaining her authentic self proves to be a challenge for Cady. We witness the hilarity that ensues as she tries to juggle being part of the Plastics, her friendship with Damian and Janis, and her romance with the heartthrob Aaron Samuels.

The official synopsis from Paramount Pictures reads:

From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, MEAN GIRLS. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.

Who Stars in 'Mean Girls'?

Angourie Rice has been cast as Cady Heron, previously played by Erika Henningsen on Broadway and Lindsay Lohan in the film. Rice portrays Betty Brant in all three of Marvel Studios' Spider-Man films with Tom Holland. She has also appeared in films and shows such as The Nice Guys, Mare of Easttown, The Beguiled, Senior Year, Honor Society, The Last Thing He Told Me, and the Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too."

After starring in the role on Broadway, Reneé Rapp will reprise her role as Regina George. The role was originated on Broadway by Taylor Louderman and in the film by Rachel McAdams. Rapp is known for portraying Leighton Murray in the HBO Max comedy The Sex Lives of College Girls as well as for her music career.

Auli'i Cravalho has been slated to play Janis I'mi'ike, who was previously played by Lizzy Caplan in the original film and on Broadway by Barrett Wilbert Weed. Cravalho is best known for voicing the title character in Disney's Moana. She performed "How Far I'll Go," an Oscar-nominated song from the film, with Lin-Manuel Miranda at the 2017 Academy Awards. She also starred in the musical TV series Rise and played Ariel in The Little Mermaid Live.

In an interview with Collider's own Christina Radish, Cravalho expressed her excitement over the film and talked about what it was like on set.

"I don’t really know anyone who hasn’t watched Mean Girls. We all have. We all have that stuff somewhere, deep in the back of our brains. So, to play Janis Ian in it, I’m so happy. My hair has been cut off, and I have green tips. We did pre-records for the music. I was so excited to work with Reneé Rapp and Jaquel Spivey, who both originated it on Broadway and are from that stage world. They bring such a strength to their characters. And also, our directing team, Samantha [Jayne] and Arturo [Perez Jr.], come from a music background, so they have great respect for live vocals and the power that comes from storytelling through songs. I’m super excited. Tina Fey was often on set, so we were all just trying to make her proud. It’s been a great run. We’re all just back in high school again."

The part of Damian Hubbard will be played by Jaquel Spivey. Damian was portrayed by Daniel Franzese in the original film and on Broadway by Grey Henson. Spivey has recently gained popularity in the theater world because of his performance in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop.

Other cast members in Mean Girls include Bebe Wood (Love, Victor) as Gretchen Wieners, Avantika Vandanapu (Senior Year) as Karen Shetty, Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty) as Aaron Samuels, Jenna Fischer (The Office) as Ms. Heron, Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) as Mrs. George, Mahi Alam (American Born Chinese) as Kevin Ganatra, Connor Ratliff (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Mr. Rapp, and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) as Coach Carr.

Tina Fey and Tim Meadows, who starred in the original film as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall, will be reprising their roles for the musical remake. Ashley Park (Joy Ride), who played Gretchen in the Broadway show, will also have a cameo in the film in an undisclosed role.

Who Is Making 'Mean Girls'?

There is no better team to produce the film than the film’s original writer, Tina Fey, and producer, Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels. Fey also wrote the book for the 2018 Broadway show with music by her partner, Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. Set to direct this musical adaptation are Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr who will be making their feature directorial debut after having directed the stage musical.

When and Where Did 'Mean Girls' Film?

Mean Girls: The Musical began production in March 2023 with filming primarily taking place in Middletown Township, New Jersey.

In late April 2023, Rice revealed on Instagram that filming had wrapped.