Few teen films of the 00s had the cultural impact of Mean Girls. The 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried has gone down in history as one of the most iconic films of its era, while phrases like ‘burn book’, ‘fetch’ and ‘get in, loser’ have taken on a life of their own.

As the 20th anniversary of the era-defining movie approaches, there’s some great news for Mean Girls fans – a new version of the classic film is coming to the big screen next year. And this time, it’s a musical.

That’s right – the Broadway version of Mean Girls is set to land in cinemas early next year, starring the likes of Reneé Rapp, Chris Briney and Angourie Rice, and we could not be more excited. 

Here’s everything we know about Mean Girls: The Musical so far.

Is there a trailer for Mean Girls: The Musical?

Yes! You can watch it below:

Wait, there was a Broadway musical of Mean Girls?

If you didn’t already know about the Mean Girls musical, allow us to introduce you to your next obsession. 

The musical first premiered in Washington, DC, in 2017 before landing on Broadway in 2018. The show was nominated for 12 Tony awards, including best musical. The musical closed in 2021 on Broadway, but it’s set to come to the West End in London next spring. 

You’ll be pleased to hear that the muscial features some absolute bangers, including Apex Predator, Meet The Plastics and I See Stars. In fact, we recommend you head to Spotify and listen to the entire Broadway soundtrack ASAP.

Who stars in Mean Girls: The Musical?

Get ready, because Mean Girls: The Musical has a very, very big cast.

Angourie Rice stars as Cady Heron, the new girl in town originally played by Lindsay Lohan. You may remember Rice as Betty in the Spider-Man films or as Siobhan from Kate Winslet’s Mare Of Easttown.

Singer and Broadway star Renée Rapp stars as Queen Bee Regina George. She previously played the role on stage in 2019. Christopher Briney of The Summer I Turned Pretty fame plays heartthrob Aaron Samuels.

Auli’i Cravalho, who rose to fame after voicing Moana, plays loner Janis Ian, while Broadway’s Jaquel Spivey plays her gay bestie, Damian.

Bebe Wood is set to play Gretchen Wieners, Regina’s second in command. You may have seen her as Lake in Love, Victor or as Kate in Crushed.

Avantika plays Karen, the ditzy third member of Regina’s posse.

As for the adult roles, Jenna Fischer, best known as Pam from The Office, is playing Cady’s mum; Busy Philipps (Girls5Eva, White Chicks) plays Regina’s mum; and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm plays Coach Carr.

Mean Girls OGs Tina Fey and Tim Meadows are also set to reprise their roles as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall.

Ashley Park is also on the cast list. You probably know her from Emily In Paris and Only Murders In The Building, but she also originated the role of Gretchen on stage.

What has been said about Mean Girls: The Musical so far?

In 2023, Auli’i Cravalho spoke to The Wrap about the filming process.

“It’s been amazing,” she said, adding, “Tina Fey is part of our producing team and we’re all just wanting to make Tina proud.”

She also noted that the co-directors, Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., were “killing it”. “They’re having so much fun, I think just as much fun as we are on set and I love that they come from also a music background because they’re making choices that are so very different from what we’d usually see in film, including long one-takes and taking time to really appreciate the live vocal elements of songs,” she said.

Angourie Rice, who stars as Cady Heron, also spilled some details on the film during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“I think no matter what, no two people are going to do the same thing the same way. So I think no matter what, it’s going to be different,” she said, comparing her performance to Lohan’s. “Even if you got two actors in a room to say the exact same speech, it’s just going to be different. So I’m not too worried about it being too similar or too different.

She added that she was a huge fan of the original: “I love, love, love Mean Girls the movie. I grew up on that movie. It’s one of my favourites. I know it all by heart. So to be a part of it was just so, so exciting.”

For Reneé Rapp, who plays Regina George, starring in the film has been complicated. When she played the role on Broadway, she struggled with an eating disorder. 

“To be super-transparent, I loved doing Mean Girls on Broadway, but I was also very sick,” she told NME. “I’ve struggled with an eating disorder my whole life and I had a lot of shit happen during that time. And so my biggest thing right now is trying to prepare myself to go into the filming environment with a way healthier mindset. Because I don’t want to fall back into anything.”

Mean Girls: The Musical promises to be a glitzy, modernised version of the iconic original, complete with musical numbers. However, super-fans of the movie, fear not – they’ve kept tons of Easter eggs and references, including the Burn Book, Janis’s iconic purple suit and Damian’s blue hoodie look. Oh, and Tina Fey is reprising her role! We officially cannot wait for this movie.

When is Mean Girls: The Musical coming to cinemas?

Luckily, we don’t need to wait too long before we get to see Mean Girls: The Musical in all of its glory – the film is set to land in UK cinemas on 19 January 2024. That’s almost 20 years to the day since the original film’s release.

Images: Getty