LIFE & CULTURE

Everything You Need To Know About ‘Mean Girls: The Musical’ Movie

The hit 2004 film, which was adapted into a musical, is now being brought to the screen with song.
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Paramount + have announced that a film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Mean Girls (which itself is an adaptation of the 2004 film of the same name) is coming to a screen near you in 2024.

You heard that correctly, the iconic story line will go from film, to musical, to musical film.

It will be 20 years since the original film, written by Tina Fey, starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert, took the world by storm, gifting us with iconic lines like:

  • “I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops. So I bought army pants and flip flops.”
  • “Get in loser, we’re going shopping”
  • “Your hair looks sexy pushed back”

Need we say more about how iconic this new musical version will be?

Plus, the musical was written by Fey, so it’s sure to contain much of the original and hilarious source material all these years on.

So, without further ado, this is everything you need to know about it.

What Is The Plot Of Mean Girls: The Musical Broadway Show?

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Cady and the gang in the original ‘Mean Girls’ movie. Image: Mean Girls

After originally premiering in 2017 in the US, the Mean Girls musical later opened on Broadway. It was a big hit and ended up jumpstarting the careers of the actors in the play, including Emily In Paris’ Ashley Park, who originally played Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls.

The plot line is very similar to the OG film, following the story of Cady Heron, who moves from Africa into an American school and is forced to navigate the dog-eat-dog, clique-infested world of the average high school.

She ends up making friends with the popular girls, the ‘Plastics’, consisting of the queen Regina George and her minions Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith. After becoming one of their dominant committee, Heron is forced to confront the downsides of popularity and her falling out with original pals Janis Ian and Damian Leigh.

What Is Mean Girls: The Musical Movie?

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The iconic santa scene in the original film. (Credit: Mean Girls)

The upcoming Mean Girls movie will turn the all-signing, all-dancing storyline built in the play into a film to be watched from the comfort of your own home.

It will again cover the same material, however, Reneé Rapp, who will play queen-bee Regina George, told People there may be some minor changes.

“This is a very specific version of the musical that has a really specific place in a niche, culty theatre way, that I think expands it to maybe people who aren’t super into theatre,” she said.

Who Has Been Cast In Mean Girls: The Musical Movie?

The enduring love affair with Mean Girls means that there is a lot riding on the casting of the musical film.

So far, we know that:

  • Cady Heron: will be played by Australian actress Angourie Rice
  • Regina George: will be played by Reneé Rapp, who was also in the Broadway production
  • Karen Smith: will be played by Bebe Wood
  • Gretchen Wieners: will be played by Avantika Vandanapu
  • Aaron Samuels: will be played by The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Christopher Briney
  • Janis Ian: will be played by Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho
  • Danien Leigh: will be played by Jaquel Spivey
  • George ‘Cool Mom’: will be played by Busy Philipps
  • Coach Carr: will be played by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm
  • Heron: will be played by The Office’s Jenna Fischer
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Reneé Rapp. stars as Regina George. (Credit: Mean Girls)
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Angourie Rice stars as Cady Heron. (Credit: Mean Girls)
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Christopher Briney stars as Aaron Samuels. (Credit: Mean Girls)

Will Any Of The Original Mean Girls Cast Be In The New Musical Film?

The good news is that Tina Fey is still involved in the Mean Girls project all these years on, and she will again play Ms. Norbury in the movie musical. Principal Duvall will also still be played by Tim Meadows.

We have no news yet on whether the original cast will make a cameo, however given their recent reuniting moment for a Walmart ad, it’s all possible.

What Are The Songs From Mean Girls: The Musical Film?

If you’re looking to brush up on the songs from the musical before you watch the film, we can’t blame you. Whether or not they will all make it into the final cut of the film remains to be seen, but there’s no hurt in learning a few showtunes. The key songs are as follows:

  1. ‘A Cautionary Tale’ – Janis, Damian
  2. ‘It Roars’ – Cady, Ensemble
  3. ‘Where Do You Belong’ – Damian, Janis, Cady, Ensemble
  4. ‘Meet The Plastics’ – Regina, Gretchen, Karen, Janis, Damian, Cady
  5. ‘Stupid With Love’ – Cady
  6. ‘Apex Predator’ – Janis, Cady
  7. ‘What’s Wrong With Me?’ – Gretchen
  8. ‘Sexy’ – Karen, Ensemble
  9. ‘Someone Gets Hurt’ – Regina, Aaron, Ensemble
  10. ‘Revenge Party’ – Janis, Damian, Cady, Ensemble
  11. ‘Fearless’ – Cady, Gretchen, Karen, Taylor, Ensemble
  12. ‘Stop’ – Damian, Ensemble
  13. ‘Whose House Is This?’ – Kevin, Cady, Gretchen, Karen, Ensemble
  14. ‘More Is Better’ – Cady, Aaron
  15. ‘World Burn’ – Regina, Ensemble
  16. ‘I’d Rather Be Me’ – Janis, Ensemble
  17. ‘Do This Thing’ – Cady, Ms Norbury, Kevin, Mathletes, Ensemble
  18. ‘I See Stars’ – Cady

Is There A Mean Girls: The Musical Movie Trailer? 

Yes, Paramount+ have released the trailer for the film. 

Watch it below. 

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When Is Mean Girls: The Musical Movie Release Date?

The good news is that the wait is mostly over for this film, with Paramount+ announcing that it will be released in cinema in Australia on January 11, 2024.

The perfect summer holiday watch, if you ask us.

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