Film fans will talk about their hatred of remakes and reboots until they’re blue in the face. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as most are pretty terrible, if not completely unnecessary. But Tina Fey and Paramount are taking a unique approach to the remake game with their upcoming “Mean Girls.”
According to Variety, Tina Fey and Paramount have agreed to adapt the stage musical version of “Mean Girls” for the big screen. That’s right, the film that became a hit musical is now becoming a musical film. Got it?
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As you might expect, Fey, who wrote the 2004 film, as well as the recent musical adaptation, is on board to help develop the new film, alongside the folks that helped bring the stage production to life, composer Jeff Richmond and lyricist Nell Benjamin.
“I’m very excited to bring ‘Mean Girls’ back to the big screen,” Fey said. “It’s been incredibly gratifying to see how much the movie and the musical have meant to audiences. I’ve spent sixteen years with these characters now. They are my Marvel Universe and I love them dearly.”
“It has been a joy to work on ‘Mean Girls’ and to watch it go from film, to musical, and now to musical film,” producer Lorne Michaels said. “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 Sonia Friedman and her team as we prepare for London.”
No word on when we might see “Mean Girls” sing and dance on the big screen, but the upcoming project joins a long list of musicals that are coming to theaters. This year, we have “In the Heights” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” In addition, there are projects such as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Come From Away,” as well as “Sunset Boulevard” all in development.
So, take this as the first sign that Tom Hooper’s “Cats” didn’t kill the big-screen musical as we all expected it to.