Credit: Marvel StudiosSpider-Man in the MCU will never be the same after 2021’s climactic end to the trilogy. It’s impossible to tell what the future looks like for Spidey and his friends in the live-action Marvel Universe, but behind the scenes, things are moving along for many of its stars.
Just short of a decade after Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 (2007) released, the Marvel Comics wallcrawler would return to the big screen in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe with Tom Holland in the iconic role. Following his appearance in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Holland led his own three-part series alongside other stars such as real-life girlfriend Zendaya (MJ), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Laura Harrier (Liz), Tony Revolori (Eugene “Flash” Thompson), and Angourie Rice as Betty Brant.
Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. was also present in Spidey’s first solo entry, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange taking a supporting role in the finale Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Holland went on to star in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Following No Way Home, which saw the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, the Marvel Studios franchise is facing an uncertain future. From poorly received feature films to a lukewarm response to Marvel and Disney’s streaming efforts, the next few years will be crucial in determining the survival of the MCU.
In terms of the Spidey cast, though, Tom Holland — who recently took an acting break — has appeared in The Crowded Room on Apple TV, while Zendaya is gearing up to appear in Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune: Part Two (2024), and will return soon to playing Rue Bennett in HBO Max’s hit, Euphoria. And then there’s Angourie Rice, who will swap one high school for another, taking on an iconic role made famous by Lindsay Lohan almost 20 years ago.
The Mean Girls musical is based on the stage adaptation of the noughties classic teen romantic comedy Mean Girls (2004). Mean Girls starred a cast including Lindsay Lohan (who recently revealed we’ve been saying her name wrong for decades) as Cady Heron, Rachel McAdams as Plastics ringleader Regina George, Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Weiners, and Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith. The comedy was directed by Mark Waters and written by 30 Rock star Tina Fey and, in the years that followed, has become a cult classic; the musical adaptation was also penned by Fey and opened on Broadway in 2018.
And Mean Girls is going from screen to stage… and back again.
A new Mean Girls movie, headed by Paramount, is due for release next year. The adaptation stars Spider-Man franchise star Angourie Rice, who jumps from her role of Betty Brant into the home-schooled quiet girl turned high school Plastic, Cady Heron.
Joining Rice will be Moana (2016) lead Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis Sarkisian, Reneé Rapp as Regina George, Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners, Avantika Vandanapu as Karen Smith, Jaquel Spivey as Damian Hubbard, Jon Hamm as Coach Carr, Jenna Fischer as Ms. Heron, and Busy Philipps as Mrs. George. Tim Meadows and Tina Fey reprise their roles as Principal Duvall and Ms. Norbury, respectively.
Related: Andrew Garfield Replaced as Peter Parker in ‘Spider-Man’ Franchise, Tom Holland Weighs In
Rice played Peter Parker’s Midtown School of Science and Technology classmate and reporter, Betty Brant, in all three of Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy — Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home. She also starred as Brant in The Daily Bugle web series.
As for the rest of the cast, Auli’i Cravalho voiced the character Moana in the 2016 Disney animated classic of the same name, with Reneé Rapp having already starred as Regina George in New York City, taking on the stage role originated by Taylor Louderman.
And after being scheduled for release on Paramount’s Paramount+ streaming service, a new update has been given about Rice’s new movie.
Per Deadline, Mean Girls is now tapped for a January 2024 theatrical release. Mean Girls will now be released on the big screen over the Martin Luther King 4-day weekend on January 12, 2024. As the report notes, this is the second time Paramount has shifted strategy on a streaming release, the first being last year’s surprise horror hit Smile (2022).
Mean Girls is directed by Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne, with a screenplay by Fey. Lorne Michaels is producing the feature film alongside Fey.
The report of Mean Girls going theatrical comes as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced that a tentative yet historic deal has been reached with studios and streaming services, which could bring about an end to the almost 150-day writers’ strike. The Screen Actors Guild and Association of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike still goes on.
Will you be heading to the movie theater to see Mean Girls? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!