Two long decades after the cult-classic teen comedy first hit theaters, Mean Girls is being rebooted to introduce Pink Wednesdays and Burn Books to a whole new generation. But there’s a twist. It won’t just be a shot-for-shot remake of the 2004 original with Instagram and Gen-Z slang incorporated into the plot.
The trailer text makes that very clear in the first few frames, “This isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls.” They’re going in an entirely new direction by making the new Mean Girls a musical. But why would the filmmakers change he legacy of the original? Why change the formula when you have a surefire hit on your hands? Here’s all you need to know about why the Mean Girls 2024 reboot is a musical.
Mean Girls Already Exists as a Musical for Broadway
After the success of Mean Girls, Tina Fey, the movie’s writer, adapted the script for a 2018 Broadway musical. Using catchy songs to hit the same story beats brought a fan-favorite hit to life. In the Broadway musical, Regina and the Plastics are introduced in a musical number called “Meet the Plastics,” and Regina leaks the Burn Book in another song called “World Burn.” It also had all the iconic moments from the movie but with a modern facelift. For instance, the characters all use smartphones (which hadn’t yet changed the world back in 2004). And one of the standout lines in the show that had the whole theater laughing was a whole new addition: “Sometimes I feel like an iPhone without a case. Like, I know I’m worth a lot and I have a lot of good functions, but at any time, I could just shatter.” Fey also added some new story beats to keep audiences surprised throughout the whole thing, but with the same acidic humor that made the original Mean Girls so much fun.
The Broadway show was wildly successful. In his review, Alexis Soloski of The Guardian wrote, “Mean Girls is fun. The songs, by Fey’s husband Jeff Richmond and lyricist Nell Benjamin, are catchy enough, the book is reasonably witty, the staging, by Casey Nicholaw, sufficiently fluid.” The musical won Outstanding Book of a Musical at the 2018 Drama Desk Awards as well as the Outer Critics Circle Awards. It was also the most nominated Broadway adaptation at the 2018 Tony Awards.
The Original Mean Girls Also Had Some Great Musical Moments
The winter talent show sequence from the original Mean Girls movie lends itself perfectly to the premise of a musical story. Remember the Plastics’ iconic performance of “Jingle Bell Rock”? The trailer for the reboot teases a fresh redo, promising a well-choreographed dance sequence instead of the original’s hilarious clumsy version. Plus, Renée Rapp, who played Regina in the Broadway show, is reprising her role in the reboot, which makes this all the more exciting. Perhaps, Damian’s short performance of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” may even get a full-blown upgrade. While most of the plot details are yet unknown, Mean Girls meets High School Musical meets Pitch Perfect, as evident in the trailer, certainly sounds like a good combination.
Musicals Seem to Work in Hollywood
The last 20 years have seen a resurgence in the movie musical industry, with hits like La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Les Misérables, and the recent West Side Story remake by Steven Spielberg. Even Wonka (as much as the director denies it) was a musical with 11 original songs performed by the cast. Mean Girls isn’t even the only unexpected musical release in 2024 — the sequel to the critically acclaimed Joker is also going the musical route. So clearly, the musical formula works.
Additionally, Mean Girls isn’t the first movie to go from film to Broadway musical to movie musical. The 1988 Hairspray movie opened to massive box office success and critical acclaim and holds a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie’s story was then adapted for a Broadway musical in 2002. It won multiple awards, including the 2003 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score. In 2007, the original movie and play were adapted into a star-studded movie musical, which also achieved commercial and critical success and holds a solid 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The appeal of musical movies and the Broadway success of Mean Girls explains why the filmmakers chose to go the musical route with their reboot. Tina Fey, the writer of the original movie and the Broadway show, is also the one writing the reboot, and she may have some more surprises lined up for fans of the original. So, get your tickets, grab your Burn Book, and get ready for a high school reunion like never before — because this time, they’re singing their way through the drama! Mean Girls will be released in theaters on January 12, 2024.
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