I was Cady Heron’s age when Mean Girls became not just a part of my life, but a fixture in my world. My friends and I (and our acquaintances and their friends and random strangers at the mall and their moms who picked them up) obsessed over all things Plastic, constantly quoting the movie– entire conversations in quotes– cementing its vernacular into our own burgeoning cultural zeitgeist. Mean Girls was not just a movie– but synonymous with my teenhood.

Jump-cut two decades later, we had just premiered Quarter Life Poetry at Sundance. It meant everything to me how QLP was able to connect with young women through humor and musicality– and in search of our next project, I deeply wanted to continue that connection. Arturo had finished a beautiful collaboration with Justin Timberlake- and was hungry for a new musical challenge. And so when, by the cosmic alignment of all things fetch, we got word that Tina Fey wanted to talk Mean Girls Musical– we were all in. 

From that moment, Tina graciously brought us into her world and we began the most exciting collaboration. We knew this would be for a generation of makers– Gen-Z– whose storytelling in bite-sized movies and boundless creativity needs to be met with respect. And we also gotta respect the OGs– the Millennials, who grew up with the story and characters.

And so a few years’ journey began of intense collaboration, total obsession, and lots and lots of pink. We’re thrilled to share with the world the talents of all who brought this to life; a Mean Girls for the next generation. And also for my friends and I– 20 years ago at the mall. It’s for us, too.

Samantha Jayne
October 3rd 2023