Everything You Need to Know About the MEAN GIRLS Movie Musical

Another Mean Girls movie is almost here!

BroadwayWorld collected everything you need to know about the upcoming film - including who's starring, where you can watch the movie, and what will change from stage to screen.

The teen comedy follows Cady Heron, who may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order?

By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina's reign, she learns the hard way that you can't cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

Mean Girls opened on Broadway in 2018 and earned 10 Tony nominations. The production closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the film is released in theaters this January, find out what we know about the upcoming Mean Girls movie musical below!

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Who's in the cast of the Mean Girls movie musical?

Angourie Rice will be playing Cady Heron, who was played in the original film by Lindsay Lohan and on Broadway by Erika Henningsen and Sabrina Carpenter.

Reneé Rapp is reprising her Broadway role as Regina George, who was played in the film by Rachel McAdams. The role was originated on Broadway by Taylor Louderman.

Auli'i Cravalho will play Janis Ian, who was played by Lizzy Caplan in the original film and on Broadway by Barrett Wilbert Weed.

Jaquel Spivey will play Damien, who was played in the film by Daniel Franzese and on Broadway by Grey Henson.

Bebe Wood will play the role of Gretchen Wieners. The role was played in the original film by Lacey Chabert and on Broadway by Ashley Park.

Avantika will play the role of Karen Shetty. The role, originally Karen Smith, was played in the film by Amanda Seyfried and on Broadway by Kate Rockwell.

Christopher Briney will play the role of Aaron Samuels. Jonathan Bennett played the role in the film with Kyle Selig and Cameron Dallas playing the role on Broadway.

Tina Fey is reprising her role as Ms. Norbury in the new film adaptation. She will be joined by Tim Meadows, who is also reprising his role as Principal Duvall.

Busy Philipps will play the role of Mrs. George, Regina George's mother. The comedic role was made famous by Amy Poehler in the original 2004 film. The musical role was originated on Broadway by Kerry Butler.

Jenna Fischer will play Ms. Heron, Cady's mother. The role was played in the original film by Ana Gasteyer and by Kerry Butler on Broadway.

Ashley Park will make a cameo in the film. She was nomined for a Tony Award for playing Gretchen Weiners in the original Broadway production of the musical.

Mahi Alam will play Mathlete Kevin Ganatra, who befriends Cady (Rice) while having a crush on her friend Janis (Cravalho). The role, originally titled Kevin Gnapoor, was played on Broadway by Cheech Manohar and in the 2004 film by Rajiv Surendra.

Connor Ratliff will play Mr. Rapp, a teacher at North Shore High School.

Angourie Rice recently was seen as the title role in Honor Society. She also starred alongside Rebel Wilson in Senior Year on Netflix.

Renee Rapp is an American singer and actress who made her Broadway debut in Mean Girls as Regina George in 2019. She won the "Best Performance by an Actress" award at the 2018 Jimmy Awards. Rapp's other theatre credits include Spring Awakening and Big Fish. Fans may also know Rapp from her role as Leighton in HBO Max comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls. She recently released her debut EP, "Everything to Everyone."

Auli'i Cravalho gained international stardom as THE VOICE of Disney's Moana, and performed the Oscar nominated song, "How Far I'll Go," alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda at the 2017 Academy Awards. Auli'i was also seen as a lead in the primetime television series, Rise, from Jason Katims and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller on NBC. She also starred as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid Live".

Jaquel Spivey was nominated for a Tony Award for starring in A Strange Loop as Usher. He recently graduated from Point Park University with a degree in Musical Theatre.

Bebe Wood was most recently seen as Lake in Hulu's original series Love, Victor. She also was seen on screen in The New Normal and The Real O'Neals.

Avantika was recently seen alongside Rebel Wilson in Senior Year on Netflix. She was the first Indian American to star in a Disney Channel Original Movie with Spin in 2021.

Christopher Briney is known for his work in The Summer I Turned Pretty. He has also been seen in Dalí Land.

Jenna Fischer is best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on all nine seasons of The Office, for which she received an Emmy nomination in 2007. She can also be seen in such films as Blades of Glory and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Tina Fey is a writer, actor, and producer known for her award-winning series "30 Rock" and for nine seasons on "Saturday Night Live" (Weekend Update, Sarah Palin, Mom Jeans.) Films include Sisters, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Date Night, Mean Girls (her first screenplay). In 2010 she became the youngest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Her book Bossypants has sold 2.5 million copies. She co-created "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (Netflix) and is an Executive Producer on "Great News" (NBC).

Tim Meadows was a cast member on Saturday Night Live for 10 seasons, setting a record at the time for being the longest tenured cast member. He has been seen on TV in 30 Rock, The Office, Girls5Eva, Poker Face, Bobs Burgers, Inside Amy Schumer, and more. His film credits include Grown Ups, Hubie Halloween, Wayne's World 2, The Cookout, Jack & Jill, and more.

Busy Philipps is best known for her roles on the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000), Dawson's Creek (2001-2003), Love, Inc. (2005-2006) and ER (2006-2007), for her abortion access advocacy, and for her portrayal of Laurie Keller on the ABC series Cougar Town (2009-2015). From 2018 to 2019, Philipps hosted her own television talk show Busy Tonight, on E!. She currently stars in the Peacock original series Girls5eva.

Mahi Alam is a Bangladeshi-American actor and singer-songwriter who will be seen alongside Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu in American Born Chinese on Disney+. He has also been seen in New Amsterdam on NBC and Strangers on Facebook Watch.

Connor Ratliff is a veteran comedic actor who has been seen on screen in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Search Party, and Mike Birbiglia's Don't Think Twice.

Who's directing the Mean Girls movie musical?

The film adaptation of Mean Girls the Musical will be directed by Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne. The film was made a "high priority" for Paramount Players after the two directors gave a presentation on what the adaption will look like back in modern day.

Who wrote the Mean Girls movie musical?

Tina Fey, who wrote the original film, has returned to write the book of the musical, which she was nominated for a Tony Award for. The movie musical also features music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. Reneé Rapp also co-wrote songs for the film.

How will the 2024 Mean Girls movie musical be different from the original 2004 version?

Aside from the addition of songs – like "Apex Predator," "Someone Gets Hurt," and "World Burn" – the musical's story remains true to the original film's plot.

The musical features Janis and Damian as the story's narrators, opening the musical with a song titled "A Cautionary Tale," framing the story as if they are introducing incoming freshmen to North Shore High School.

Additionally, since the first movie had been released in 2008, the musical is updated to current day. This introduces social media into the story, which was not as relevant in the first film.

Characters like Janis, Gretchen Weiners, and Karen Smith have also been further developed and expanded, being given their own songs.

One of the fan-favorite moments in the movie include the use of the song "Jingle Bell Rock." However, this song was replaced by the original song "Rockin' Around the Pole."

How will the Mean Girls movie musical be different from the Broadway version?

The Mean Girls Broadway musical adaptation included 21 songs and only 12 will be featured in the film. 

Songs cut from the Broadway version include "It Roars," "Where Do You Belong?," "Stupid With Love (Reprise)," "Fearless," "Stop," "What's Wrong With Me? (Reprise)," "Whose House Is This?," "More Is Better," and "Do This Thing."

Confirmed songs include "A Cautionary Tale," "Sexy," "Apex Predator," "What's Wrong With Me?," "Revenge Party," "Someone Gets Hurt," "Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise)," "World Burn," "Rather Be Me," and "I See Stars."

Reneé Rapp has also written new songs for the movie musical, including one that replaces the musical's opening number, "It Roars." The new song is titled "What Ifs."

When was the Mean Girls movie filmed?

The Mean Girls movie musical began filming on March 6, 2023 and wrapped later in the spring. Tina Fey has mentioned that the film was shot in approximately a month. Check out a photo taken on set at Mean Girls here:

Where can I watch the Mean Girls movie musical?

The Mean Girls movie musical will be released in theaters on January 12. Tickets are available here.

It was originally planned to stream on Paramount+, but the decision has since been reversed. 

Watch the Mean Girls movie musical trailer here:

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BroadwayWorld will be sure to fill you in on additional information and updates about Mean Girls as we hear about them!