It’s looking like the limit does not exist, at least for the time being when it comes to the enduring teen comedy Mean Girls. The hit Broadway musical, which was adapted from Tina Fey’s 2004 film of the same name, is heading back to the big screen for a new adaptation in musical film form.
Both the original film and the theater production trace the story of Cady Heron, a home-schooled teenager who moves from Africa to suburban Illinois, where she attends public school for the first time. There, she attempts to navigate the school’s social hierarchy and infiltrates the popular crew the Plastics.
Produced by Lorne Michaels, who is a co-producer of the stage production and Fey, who will also write the script, the upcoming Paramount Pictures film will feature music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Neil Benjamin.
“I’m very excited to bring Mean Girls back to the big screen,” Fey, who also wrote the original film and stage version, said in a statement. “It’s been incredibly gratifying to see how much the movie and the musical have meant to audiences. I’ve spent 16 years with these characters now. They are my Marvel Universe and I love them dearly.”
The stage version — which is playing at August Wilson Theatre in New York, as well as touring in select theaters in the U.S. through August — features a book by Fey and music from composer Richmond and lyricist Benjamin. The Broadway musical’s producers are also in talks to bring the stage production to London’s West End.
“It has been a joy to work on Mean Girls and to watch it go from film, to musical, and now to musical film,” Michaels said in a statement. “I am very proud that Tina’s story and characters continue to resonate with new generations. We are all excited to continue to work with [co-producer] Sonia Friedman and her team as we prepare for London.”
