It's been a big month for "Mean Girls." First, castmates from the 2004 original — Lacey Chabert, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and more — reunited onscreen for a hilarious and viral Walmart Balck Friday ad campaign. A week later, Paramount Pictures dropped the debut trailer for a "Mean Girls" music movie reboot. And while it isn't made clear in the trailer — which racked up over 3 million views on YouTube in just two days — the reboot is, in fact, a musical. This is why some fans were confused that none of the original songs were featured in the trailer. Instead, Olivia Rodrigo's new single, "get him back!" played in the background.
One X user wrote: "i'm so sorry but how are you gonna have a mean girls musical movie trailer with no music from the musical... like we know Reneé can sing but can the rest of the cast?!?"
We'll have to wait a while longer to see if the new cast has the chops for a movie full of musical numbers. But we're confident the project is in good hands. Tina Fey, who co-wrote the original, returned to pen the reboot (and reprise her role as the frazzled Ms. Norbury).
Here's everything else we know about the upcoming "Mean Girls" musical reboot.
What is the plot of the 'Mean Girls' Musical Movie?
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The original "Mean Girls" was a hilarious and insightful exploration of high school dynamics. And it became a defining film for the millennial cohort.
The plot follows the story of Cady Heron (Lohan), a 16-year-old girl who has spent most of her life being homeschooled in Africa by her zoologist parents. When her family moves to the suburbs of Illinois, Cady finds herself navigating the treacherous social hierarchy of North Shore High School. As she tries to fit in, Cady befriends Janis Ian and Damian, two socially marginalized students who provide her with a crash course on the high school's cliques. Cady soon becomes entangled with the most popular and notorious group in the school, known as "The Plastics." Led by the beautiful but manipulative Regina George (Rachel McAdams), The Plastics also includes Karen Smith (Seyfried) and Gretchen Wieners (Chabert). Janis hatches a plan for Cady to infiltrate The Plastics and gather information to sabotage Regina. However, as Cady gets closer to the group, she begins to lose herself in the world of gossip, backstabbing, and betrayal. Along the way, Cady discovers that she is becoming just as mean as the girls she initially despised.
The reboot, an adaptation of the 2018 Tony-nominated Broadway musical based on the 2004 original, follows a similar plot. The official logline reads: "From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, "Mean Girls." New student Cady Heron ("The Last Thing He Told Me"s 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 is on the Cast of the 'Mean Girls' Reboot?
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The same characters from the 2004 original will appear in the reboot, though (obviously) different actors will be playing them.
Angourie Rice will play the fish-out-of-water protagonist, Cady Heron, played by Lohan in the original. Rice is best known for roles in "Honor Society" and Tom Holland's "Spider-Man" trilogy. Reneé Rapp will step into the heels of Regina George, the ruthless leader of The Plastics, played by Rachel McAdams in the original. Rapp also played the Queen of the Plastics in the "Mean Girls" Broadway show. Bebe Wood will take the torch from Lacey Chabert to play Gretchen Wieners, the heiress to the toaster strudel fortune and Regina's most trusted Plastic. Avantika will play Karen Shetty, the boneheaded but kind Plastic with a knack for predicting the weather, originated by Amanda Seyfried. "Moana" star Auli'i Cravalho will play the emo outcast Janis 'Imi'ike, who was named Janis Ian and played by Lizzy Caplan in the OG film. Jacquel Spivey will take over Janis's bestie Damian Hubbard from Daniel Franzese. Also joining the cast are Christopher Briney as love interest Aaron Samuels (originally played by Hallmark star Jonathan Bennett), Busy Philipps as "Cool Mom" Mrs. George, and Jenna Fischer as Mrs. Heron.
SNL alums Tina Fey and Tim Meadows will reprise their roles as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall, respectively. Jon Hamm will play Coach Carr, the school's unfortunate choice as Sex Ed teacher. And Ashley Park, who played Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway show, will play French Teacher Madame Park.
How did the Original 'Mean Girls' Cast React to the Reboot?
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The original Plastics love the 2004 film as much as anyone, and some have expressed interest in doing a sequel. When asked if she would reprise her role of Gretchen Wieners, Chabert told The Tonight Show, "Oh, absolutely! I think it would be so much fun to see where these women are now." She added, "And if their kids are the new mean girls? I would love to know what they're doing." Lindsay Lohan and Daniel Franzese have also said they'd be on board with reviving their roles.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of the original "Mean Girls" themselves will appear in the film, though we're keeping our fingers crossed for some surprise cameos. Rachel McAdams told Bustle, "I don't see a way to shoehorn us in," but added, "If Tina can figure it out, I'm there, for sure."
We may just have to settle for the Walmart ad campaign. It may not be quite the reunion fans were hoping for, but nevertheless, it offers a fun look at where the girls are 20 years later.
What are the Differences Between the Original 'Mean Girls' and the Reboot?
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The reboot will likely adhere to the plot of the 2018 Broadway show it's based on, which had some marked differences from the 2004 original.
For starters, the cliques are a little different. The new lunch tables are as follows: Debate Team, Dance Team, Rich Stoners, Gangsta Whites, Woke Seniors, Peaking-Too-Soon, Strivers and Survivors, Junior Believers, Christian Believers, Wallflowers, and Fending Off Skeevers. However, they do still have the Sexually Active Band Geeks, JV Jocks and, of course, the Plastics.
Karen had a much more significant role, and had a song called "Stop" which highlighted a sad reality of today: her nudes being passed around without her consent. The Burn Book is still there. As is Aaron Samuels, though he's from another school district and is secretly attending North Shore.
The jokes were updated to fit with 2018, and with how rapidly everything is changing, they'll likely be updated again for the 2024 film adaptation. The Broadway show included plenty of gags about social media and the internet. Gretchen bemoans: "Sometimes I feel like an iPhone without a case. Like, I know I'm worth a lot, and I have a lot of good functions, but at any time I could just shatter." Gretchen was still trying to make "fetch" happen. But she was also trying to make "schquillz" happen — a supposedly cool new way of saying "skills."
When Does the 'Mean Girls' Reboot Come Out?
Paramount Pictures
The "Mean Girls" musical reboot was initially headed for a release on streaming service Paramount+. But Paramount called a last-second audible, and the film is now headed for the big screen. It's the second time Paramount has switched things up and sent a Paramount+ original to theaters instead. The first time was with last fall's hit horror film "Smile."
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.
