The first trailer for Mean Girls (2024) has arrived, putting a few updated twists on a beloved classic. The new movie coming out Jan. 12 is a screen adaptation of Mean Girls the musical, though so far the musical numbers are nowhere to be seen. However, we do get our first look at our new ensemble starring Angourie Rice as Cady Heron.
Mean Girls is based on a new screenplay by Tina Fey and is directed by Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne. In addition to Rice, it stars Reneé Rapp as Regina George, Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis ‘Imi’ike, Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners and Avantika Vandanapu as Karen Shetty. Some of the changes begin to show in the main cast as Auliʻi Cravalho plays Cady’s friend Janis ‘Imi’ike, replacing Janis Ian (Lizzi Caplan) from the original, while Jaquel Spivey plays Damian Hubbard, replacing the character Damian Leigh (Daniel Franzese). The trailer shows how several jokes and plot points have also been updated for today’s audiences, including the addition of social media interstitials.
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The biggest question mark left by the trailer is the musical numbers. Mean Girls debuted as a movie written by Fey in 2004, loosely based on a parenting handbook called Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman published in 2002. In 2017, Fey helped adapt the movie into a Broadway musical with music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. Now the story has come full circle as Fey brings the musical version to the screen, once again playing the math teacher Ms. Norbury.
The music should be a major addition to the story for many fans, as it has already been successful on stage and on music streaming apps. In 2018, the Mean Girls soundtrack debuted at number 42 on the Billboard charts – the highest debut for a cast album in over a year – and for fans who couldn’t make it out to see the show on tour, the soundtrack has been their sole introduction to the musical. However, many reviews decried the music as the weakest part of the musical, feeling that it wasn’t as funny as the dialogue itself or a good fit for the story’s tone.
Regardless, many fans are eager to see Mean Girls back on screen after two decades, and this trailer signals a triumphant return. Mean Girls premieres on Jan. 12, 2024 only in theaters.
