On Wednesdays we learn more about the upcoming Mean Girls movie-musical.
Tina Fey and the cast of the new film chat about the original 2004 hit and how it inspired this updated take in a featurette released Wednesday, December 13.
“Over the years, I’ve realized that these characters and this story have had a much longer shelf life than anyone anticipated,” Fey says. “For this new movie, how can we surprise and delight people who are already familiar with the story?”
Fey, who wrote, produced and reprises her role as Ms. Norbury in the film, says they strove to do just that with updates that bring the story to the present day.
“It felt like we could have the best of both worlds with great music, new jokes and the look to be updated but also nod to the original,” Fey said.
The featurette also shows off the movie’s musical moments. Several choreography-heavy scenes are featured in a montage, as well as line from the song, “Meet the Plastics,” sung by this adaptation’s Regina George, Reneé Rapp.
“I don’t care who you are/ I don’t care how you feel,” Rapp sings.
The featurette also shows off examples of the film’s updated jokes. Bebe Wood delivers Gretchen Wieners’ most iconic line, this time with a meta twist. “That is so fetch!” she enthusiastically tells Angourie Rice’s Cady Heron.
“What is fetch?” Rapp’s Regina immediately questions, to which Wood’s Gretchen answers: “It’s, like, slang from an old movie.”
It may be hard to believe, but we’re 20 years out from the original film, although Rapp says the story is fresh as ever.
“Twenty years later, it’s just as poppin’ as it was when it came out,” Rapp said.
Mean Girls arrives in theaters everywhere on January 12.
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