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Mean Girls: The Musical Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer And More Details

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The limit does not exist for "Mean Girls." The musical adaptation of the 2004 hit comedy about navigating the social waters of high school is heading to the big screen. The movie version of the musical comes a few years after the show ended its Broadway run at the August Wilson Theatre, which began in 2018 and ended in March 2020. While on Broadway, the show garnered 12 Tony Nominations in 2018, including best musical and best original score.

Of course, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Franzese, and Tina Fey are just a few of the well-known names that come to mind when thinking about "Mean Girls." While the core 2004 cast members aren't set to reprise their roles in the musical film, there are a few familiar faces returning to North Shore High School, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Here's what we know so far about the "Mean Girls" musical movie.

When will Mean Girls: The Musical be released?

Originally, "Mean Girls" was planned as a project exclusive to Paramount's emerging Paramount+ streaming service. However, executives at the entertainment conglomerate evidently had a change of heart about its in-the-works movie musical. As the upcoming movie is an adaptation of a theatrical property, the project will similarly play in front of live audiences. 

On September 22, 2023, six months after filming began, Paramount announced it had penciled in a cineplex release date for "Mean Girls." While it didn't arrive in time for October 3 — the date often memed and referenced by fans of the first film for its prominent utterance — the wait won't be much longer. The movie will arrive and screen for crowds on January 12, 2024. At the moment, it seems that the film's release date won't be impacted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

What is the plot of Mean Girls: The Musical?

The 2024 "Mean Girls" movie is an adaptation of a stage musical, which in turn is based on the 2004 film of the same name. And yep, they all hail from the same scriptwriter (Tina Fey), so the plot of the new film mirrors previous versions of the project, with a few necessary adjustments and updates to make things more relevant. 

Previously educated by her parents and unaware of the potential nastiness of a social standing-obsessed American high school, Cady Heron enrolls in North Shore High School and makes fast friends with kind and welcoming fringe-dwellers Damian and Janis. However, these two deliver grave warnings of the school's most popular and most evil authority figure: Regina George, head of the clique known as "The Plastics" (a.k.a., the mean girls). 

The Plastics take in Cady and re-invent her as one of their own, but then Cady develops a huge crush on Regina's former boyfriend, setting up a war that Cady escalates by destroying everything Regina holds dear. Every misstep and embarrassment gets blown up on social media, eventually enveloping the whole school when the depths of The Plastics' cruelty is exposed.

Who is starring in Mean Girls: The Musical?

Two years after Paramount announced the "Mean Girls" movie musical, the cast list started to populate. Angourie Rice ("Spider-Man: Far From Home") will take over the Lindsay Lohan role of Cady Heron, while Auli'i Cravalho ("Moana") and Jaquel Spivey (Broadway's "A Strange Loop") will play misfits Janis Ian and Damian, respectively. Reneé Rapp is set to co-star as villain Regina George, reprising the role she played in the Broadway version of "Mean Girls."

As for the rest of the cast, Avantika ("Senior Year") will play Regina George's underling Karen Smith, Bebe Wood ("Love, Victor") is set to portray lackey Gretchen Wieners, and Christopher Briney ("The Summer I Turned Pretty") has landed the role of love interest Aaron Samuels. Plus, "Mean Girls" creator Tina Fey and Tim Meadows will co-star in the remake, reprising the roles they played in the original, Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall, respectively. 

They'll be joined by Jenna Fischer of "The Office" as Cady's mom, and Busy Philipps of "Girls5eva" will portray Regina George's mother. Plus, Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" fame will appear as gym coach/sex-ed teacher Coach Carr. "American Born Chinese" costar Mahi Alam will portray Kevin G., while Connor Ratliff of "Search Party" is set to portray teacher Mr. Rapp.

Who is writing, producing, and directing Mean Girls: The Musical?

Tina Fey played math teacher Ms. Norbury in the original 2004 "Mean Girls," produced from a script she adapted from Rosalind Wiseman's self-help book, "Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World." She wrote the screenplay for the movie musical version too, adapting the script she penned for the stage version. Joining Fey on the producers list is her "Saturday Night Live" boss, Lorne Michaels. In a statement reported by Variety in 2020, Fey said of the now-franchise, "I'm very excited to bring 'Mean Girls' back to the big screen. It's been incredibly gratifying to how much the movie and the musical have meant to these audiences."

However, Mark Waters – director of the 2004 "Mean Girls" — won't be back for the musical rendition. Helming the new film is the team of Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne. The duo previously collaborated on "Quarter Life Poetry," a comedy series that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, and the short films "Less Than One," "Vanity" and "Dan Miller." Working solo, Perez directed the film "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and the music documentary "McCartney: Grand Central."

Is there a trailer for Mean Girls: The Musical?

On November 8, 2023, two months before the film was scheduled to hit theaters, the first official trailer for Paramount's new "Mean Girls" arrived. Right away, the clip package tells viewers that "this isn't your mother's 'Mean Girls,'" except that it kind of is exactly that. Judging from the two-minute trailer, the 2024 "Mean Girls" won't stray too far from its beloved classic of a predecessor. 

Synced to the contemporary, appropriately revenge-minded hit "get him back!" by Olivia Rodrigo, the "Mean Girls" musical redux trailer offers only quick flashes of its many song-and-dance numbers in favor of showcasing numerous homages to the 2004 movie and re-creations of its most famous scenes. For example, Regina George rules the school with coolness and cruelty and deals with her desperately attention-seeking mother, a "burn book" escalates into a school-wide brawl, and naive new student Cady struggles to fit in at first, going from eating lunch in a bathroom stall to participating in a suggestive Christmas pageant segment. However, the "Mean Girls" trailer also incorporates some just-for-2020s updates — like how everything everyone does is criticized and debated on social media.

Where to watch the original Mean Girls

Before the musical version of "Mean Girls" arrives in theaters in January 2024, fans may want to reacquaint themselves with the non-musical movie that inspired the Broadway musical, which in turn begat the song-filled cinematic remake. In its original 2004 theatrical run, "Mean Girls" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is why you'll find the Lindsay Lohan film available for your viewing pleasure on the studio's streaming site, Paramount+.

If you're not a Paramount+ subscriber, however, you can also view "Mean Girls" on Pluto TV, where it's free to watch (but there are frequent commercial breaks). Those who don't wish to subscribe or access a service can also rent "Mean Girls" for a nominal fee. On Amazon's Prime Video, renting "Mean Girls" costs $3.79, and purchasing a digital copy runs $7.99