Mean Girls – The Musical: 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Mean Girls
Posted on Wednesday 8th November 2023 at 16:00
Written by
Sarah Moore
Pop culture phenomenon and cult classic Mean Girls took the world by storm upon its release in 2004. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert as the infamous Plastics – alongside screenwriter and comedy legend Tina Fey – Mean Girls is undoubtedly one of the most quotable and recognisable films of all time, and is still beloved today.
Now, 20 years since the film first graced our screens, stage adaptation Mean Girls – The Musical is heading to the West End! Having opened on Broadway back in 2018, the acclaimed musical is finally making its way across the pond for its UK debut at the Savoy Theatre in London.
The award-winning film is a worldwide hit, and its stage adaptation has given the story a new lease of life in the 2020s – but we’re willing to bet there’s a few things you don’t know about the film, which inspired the musical. Read on to find out more!
And don't forget, you can find tickets for Mean Girls - The Musical with Gigantic Tickets today!
1. It’s based on a book… duh!
Mean Girls – The Musical was based on the film, which in itself was based on a book! Screenwriter Tina Fey took inspiration from the 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes written by Rosalind Wiseman, which speaks to the female experience of high school social cliques and bullying.
Pairing this with her own experiences of high school, Tina Fey created one of the most iconic and hilarious coming-of-age films in modern cinema.
2. It was adapted into a video game (three times!)
In 2009, a PC game was released called Mean Girls: High School Show Down. The following year, a Nintendo DS game was announced, but unfortunately was cancelled and never released. However, in 2021, the game file was found by content creator Ray Mona and a full playthrough was published on YouTube.
Finally, in 2015 an iOS game was also released. Have you played any Mean Girls video games? We wish we had!
3. A film sequel could be on the cards…
While a made-for-TV sequel was released in 2011 – featuring an entirely new cast, apart from Tim Meadows who played Principal Duvall – it’s possible that we might get a film sequel in the future. Most of the main cast have expressed their interest in reprising their roles for a Mean Girls sequel, but the common denominator seems to be Tina Fey’s availability to write it.
In 2020, Lindsay Lohan said: "To work with Tina [Fey], and the whole crew again, and Mark Waters. That was really what I wanted. I was excited to do that. But that's all in their hands really." I’m sure we’re not alone in begging Tina Fey to write that sequel someday!
4. But, a film adaptation of the stage musical has definitely been confirmed!
In 2024, it’s been confirmed that Mean Girls will be released as a film again 20 years since it first came to be big screen – but this time, as a musical. The musical film is based on the stage musical… which was based on the film… which was based on the Rosalind Wiseman book.
The new cast includes Jenna Fischer (The Office US) portraying Cady Heron's mum, and Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) as Regina George's mum.
5. It was supposed to get a spin-off
Much like the original film, a spin-off based on another book by Rosalind Wiseman was planned in 2014, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. Mean Moms had a release date of May 2015, but unfortunately its released date was pulled the year before, and a new date was never reconfirmed.
6. Tina Fey’s friends inspired the film’s characters
Screenwriter Tina Fey confessed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that she tends to use people’s real names in her writing. Mean Girls was no exception.
Main character Cady Heron was named after her college roommate; Damien Leigh was named after her high school friend; the ever-quotable Glenn Coco was named after a friend of her brother.
7. Lindsay Lohan almost wasn’t cast as the lead
Originally, Lindsay Lohan auditioned and read for the role of Regina George (which ended up going to Rachel McAdams) but ultimately the casting team felt she resonated more with their idea of Cady Heron. Lohan was also concerned that being cast as the villain of the film would harm her reputation.
Interestingly, Amanda Seyfried also auditioned for the role of Regina, but was eventually cast as one of the other Plastics: Karen Smith.
8. The film has inspired many songs since its release
The impact of Mean Girls on popular culture and society as a whole since its release in 2004 has been immeasurable. Even within the last five years, many popular songs have used Mean Girls as inspiration.
This has included: Ariana Grande’s “Thank U Next”, which saw the film parodied in its music video; K-pop singer Sunmi’s 2021 single “You Can’t Sit With Us”, which is named after a line in the film; and Wet Leg’s breakout hit “Chaise Longue”, which uses the Mean Girls line “Is your muffin buttered? / Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?” as lyrics.
9. The entire film was released on TikTok
Everyone who’s ever seen the film knows that Mean Girls Day has been widely recognised as taking place on “October 3rd” But in 2023, Paramount Pictures celebrated Mean Girls Day by releasing the entire film – yes, all of it! – on its TikTok account, for free, for one day only.
Split into 23 parts, the full film was uploaded and available to TikTok users for all of 3rd October, introducing the film to an entire new generation.
10. Tickets for Mean Girls – The Musical in London are available now!
That’s right! If you can’t wait to see the cult classic and one of the greatest movies of a generation on the stage in musical format, then grab your tickets today with Gigantic Tickets. We’ll see you there!