‘Mean Girls’ Original Stars Might Not Return for New Film After Negotiations Stall

The upcoming film adaptation of the Mean Girls musical was going to include stars from the original 2004 movie, but talks with the actors have reportedly stalled. Paramount Pictures reportedly made a “disrespectful” contract offer to Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried, insiders told Page Six on Wednesday. Paramount+ is now developing a film based on the stage musical written by Jeff Richmond, Nell Benjamin, and Tina Fey.

The four original stars wanted to appear in the film, but an insider claims Paramount is not offering them high enough salaries. “Paramount Pictures doesn’t want to pay the girls what they are worth,” a production source told Page Six. “All four girls were willing to come back, but Paramount has not been respectful of what they are worth.”

McAdams was even offered a chance to play a larger role compared to the other three, but the Oscar nominee never signed the dotted line. “As of now, the negotiations are stalled,” the source said. The source claims they were offered a “fraction” of the seven-figure deal Fey is earning to act, write, and produce the film. A rep for Fey declined to comment.

Since the Mean Girls musical movie is not a sequel, the main characters have already been cast.Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey will play Cady, Regina, Janis, and Damian, respectively. Lohan, McAdams, Chabert, and Seyfried would have played new roles. “Whether they appear in a cameo appearance or they have six pages of script, it doesn’t matter – [the money offered] is disrespectful,” another Hollywood insider told Page Six.

So far, Fey and Tim Meadows are the only known actors from the 2004 movie reprising their roles. Fey played Ms. Sharon Norbury and wrote the film, which is based on Rosalind Wiseman’s book Queen Bees and Wannabes. Meadows, another Saturday Night Live vet, played Principal Ron Duvall. During a stop on Late Night with Seth Meyers earlier this month, Fey confirmed she and Meadows will play the same roles. Fey said production will start on March 6.

The original stars of Mean Girls have reason to expect a big payday. Lohan recently returned to filmmaking with her hit Netflix Christmas movie Falling For Christmas. Seyfried and McAdams are now both Oscar-nominated stars. McAdams just appeared in Marvel’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and Seyfried picked up an Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance as Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s The Dropout. Chabret is now the reigning Hallmark movie queen, having starred in over 30 movies for the channel. She made headlines when she signed a new contract with Hallmark, while others like Candace Cameron Bure jumped ship to join the Great American Family network.