Mean Girls the musical: release date, trailer, cast and everything we know about the movie

Key art for Mean Girls the musical movie
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly 20 years since the original Mean Girls debuted in cinemas; and now, in what is sure a delight to fans, Mean Girls the musical, a movie adaptation of the Broadway production, is headed to the big screen, breathing new life into the classic Tina Fey project. 

When the very first Mean Girls hit theaters in 2004, it didn't take long for audiences everywhere to instantly fall in love. They gravitated toward its comedic take on bullying in school and the movie's overall quotability. Lines like "Stop trying to make fetch happen" and "She doesn't even go here" are still recognizable to this day. 

So what can you expect from this new Mean Girls? Well, here's everything we know about the movie, including the release date and cast.  

Mean Girls the musical release date

Mean Girls the musical heads to cinemas on Friday, January 12, in the US. In the UK, the film premieres in movie theaters on Friday, January 19. 

Mean Girls the musical trailer

On January 3, another trailer was released for the movie to continue drumming up the anticipation. Check it out below. 

Here is the official trailer for the new movie, and it you were a fan of the classic, you may find yourself excited to see the reimagined Mean Girls after checking out the following clip. 

Mean Girls the musical cast

A few actors from the original movie are in the new film. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their roles as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall, respectively. Fey wrote the screenplay for the original Mean Girls, but she is also a nine-time Emmy winner having risen to fame on Saturday Night Live before starring in 30 Rock, Only Murders in the Building and recently, A Haunting in Venice. Meadows is also an SNL alum who starred in Ladies Man and the Grown Ups franchise. 

Here are the other actors rounding out the main cast, including an alum of The Office

  • Angourie Rice as Cady Heron
  • Auli'i Cravalho as Janis Ian
  • Reneé Rapp as Regina George
  • Jaquel Spivey as Damian Hubbard
  • Avantika as Karen Smith
  • Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners
  • Christopher Briney as Aaron Samuels
  • Jenna Fischer as Ms. Heron
  • Busy Philipps as Mrs. George 

As far as the actresses who played the core four high school girls in the original Mean Girls making an appearance in the new movie, Amanda Seyfried, who played Karen, shared with Entertainment Tonight that she and her co-stars would be up for making cameos.

Tina Fey and Busy Philipps laughing during a Facebook Live event

Tina Fey and Busy Philipps (Image credit: Jenny Anderson/Getty Images)

Mean Girls the musical plot

Here is the official synopsis of the movie: 

"From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, Mean Girls. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called 'The Plastics,' ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school."

Mean Girls the musical directors 

Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne worked together to direct Mean Girls the musical. For both Perez and Jayne, the film seems to be their biggest project to date. 

Where to watch Mean Girls

Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert and Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls

Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert and Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls (Image credit: Paramount Pictures/Entertainment Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo)

For those wanting a moment of nostalgia, or for those who aren't familiar with the 2004 film, Mean Girls is available to stream on Paramount Plus. If you don't have a subscription to either service, you can watch it on Pluto TV. If you're familiar with TikTok, the movie is available to watch on the platform for a limited time. 

Terrell Smith

Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities.  When he’s not writing as Terrell, he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Some of his favorite shows include The CrownWandaVision, Abbot Elementary and Godfather of HarlemAnd a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC 90 Day Fiancé universe.