Get in losers, we’re going to the movies! That’s right, a musical adaptation of Mean Girls is on its way to the big screen and its first official trailer dropped on Nov. 8 (a Wednesday, no less!). The new remake will hit theaters on Jan. 12, 2024. It closely follows the stage musical version of Mean Girls, which premiered on Broadway in 2019. This is not a regular trailer, it’s a cool trailer! It shows the recreation of several timeless scenes from the 2004 version of Mean Girls, such as the iconic Jingle Bell Rock performance and the introduction of the Burn Book at Regina George’s house. Plus, fan-favorite moments from the stage musical, including Karen’s dance routine at the Halloween party, make an appearance.
With the movie’s release coming up soon, it now has a couple of official previews out. The first one arrived on Oct. 13 during certain showings of the Eras Tour concert film. Both teasers have been received with mixed reviews — while younger audiences seem to love the new Mean Girls trailer, some millennials have expressed their hesitation with the concept.
The upcoming movie’s cast is beyond star-studded, but it’s not all new faces! A few alums of the stage musical and 2004 movie are returning to North Shore High School. Rising pop star Reneé Rapp is reprising her role as Regina George, after first portraying the queen bee on Broadway from 2019 to 2020. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows are still playing Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall respectively, because some things never change. Ashley Park, who originated the role of Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway musical, returns as a French teacher. She has a hilarious exchange with Damien in the trailer where he incorrectly states his French name as “Chanel” and “Lady Gaga,” just like it happened in the musical.
Though manymovie love that the trailer seems to model the stage production pretty closely, quite a few viewers seemed confused about the lack of musical numbers in the trailer.
I have to say, the soundtrack choice of “get him back!” by Olivia Rodrigo fits pretty well. Reneé Rapp and Olivia Rodrigo’s teams are here for it, too.
Naturally, the response among theater kids and fans of Rapp seems to be unanimous. To say that they’re seated would be a massive understatement.
I’m counting down the days till Jan. 12, 2024. It’s going to be so fetch.