Mean Girls was first a beloved 2000s movie, then a musical, and now it’s a movie based on the musical returning to its home network for the first time since 2004. The new Mean Girls movie musical adds Busy Philipps as Mrs. George, the mother of everyone’s favorite queen bee and leader of the Plastics, Regina George; Philipps, who’s currently starring in Girls5eva, will join Auli’i Cravalho, Tina Fey, and Tim Meadows in the new movie adaptation of the Tony-nominated musical.
First premiering in 2004, the original Mean Girls movie follows new girl Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) as she moves to America and struggles to fit in at Northshore High, where the all-girl clique known as The Plastics rules the social scene. Amanda Seyfried stars as dumb blonde Karen Smith, Lacey Chabert is rich-girl people-pleaser Gretchen Wieners, and holding court over it all is Rachel McAdams as Regina George, who Cady eventually battles for social supremacy with the help of her friends Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese). According to Deadline, Amy Poehler originated the role of June George, Regina’s mother.
Image credit: Paramount Pictures
Tina Fey originally adapted Mean Girls based on a 2002 Rosalind Wiseman novel called Queen Bees and Wannabes. In 2013, with the film having reached ‘cultural phenomenon’ status in the ten years since its release, Fey announced that she would be working on a musical adaptation of the Mean Girls movie. Directed by Casey Nicholaw with music and lyrics by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin, respectively, the Mean Girls musical made its stage debut in the National Theatre in October 2017 and would later open on Broadway in 2018. Erika Henningsen, Taylor Louderman, and Barret Wilbert Weed starred in the Broadway cast of the musical as Casy Heron, Regina George, and Janis; Ashley Park starred as Gretchen Wieners, with Kate Rockwell as Karen Smith and Kerry Butler as Mrs. George.
Tina Fey Announces ‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical
With the Mean Girls musical having been nominated for no less than twelve Tony Awards, it’s become a popular force all on its own and re-ignited interest in the original Mean Girls, which turns twenty years old next year. In 2020, Tina Fey announced that the musical would be adapted into a film on Paramount, the same network that hosted the original 2004 film, with Angourie Rice, Reneé Rap, Auli’i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey starring as Cady, Regina, Janis, and Damian. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows are reportedly set to reprise their original roles as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duval.
Busy Philipps joins the Mean Girls movie musical as Mrs. George, Regina’s mother, who’s wondering where she went wrong with her daughter. Currently, Philipps stars alongside Sara Bareilles, Paula Pell, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Ashley Park in Girls5eva, a Peacock musical comedy about an aging one-hit-wonder pop star group that gets pulled back together decades after they go their separate ways and are forced to balance their adult lives with giving their musical dreams one last chance.
Filming for the Mean Girls musical movie is set to begin filming on March 6th, 2023. Arturo Perez and Samantha Jayne will direct the project, with scripts written by Tina Fey. Fey will also produce the film alongside Lorne Michaels from Broadway Video, whose project overseers also include Erin David, Caroline Maroney, and Micah Frank. Eric Gurian and Jeff Richmond are involved for Little Stranger, and Kyle Hanagami will serve as the film’s head choreographer.
