After the 2004 classic Mean Girls, came the stage musical. After Broadway, Tina Fey then set her sights on retelling the iconic high school comedy in the era of social media, in an exciting musical film adaptation that captures both the spirit of the original and the musical.
“With all this great music, we are still able to live with our characters in a close-up, to have new jokes and new moments that will surprise people who love the original and also delight a whole new audience,” Fey shares. Lorne Michaels, producer of the original 2004 film and the stage musical (and a frequent collaborator of Fey’s since their days on Saturday Night Live in the ’90s), is also on board for the new musical film version. “I have what I think is a reasonable bias against anything being remade,” Michaels, who was initially hesitant about revisiting Mean Girls, explains. “But I saw that a different version of the story could have the same kind of impact.”
In capturing the essence of the original Mean Girls, Michaels thinks there’s a main reason why the film is still dear to the hearts of a wide audience. “It’s about high school,” he says. “It’s the time of life when you’re the most vulnerable and it’s probably the most common teenage experience. Those four years and everything that goes along with them are the thing that we all have in common.”
Director Samantha Jayne chimes in on how impactful and constant the central premise of Mean Girls is, be it the original from 20 years ago or the fresh new version. “Women need to support women instead of tearing each other down,” she says. “That message was great in 2004. And it will be great a hundred years from now. If we have created a version that connects that message to today’s audience and allows them to have fun, we’re doing what we set out to do.”
Fey is still in awe of the longevity of the story and its impact on pop culture. As with the original version, beneath all the laughs and the musical numbers, Fey hopes that audiences will take with them the serious message underneath everything – and have fun with it. “I want people to enjoy it,” Fey concludes. “I know people will love this cast. I hope they’ll love the songs and all the moments that make them say, oh, I didn’t expect that!”
