The New Mean Girls Movie: Where Was It Filmed?
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3 months ago
These filming locations are totally fetch
Get in losers, we’re going to see Mean Girls. The hotly anticipated reboot has just hit cinemas, and we’ve heard it’s totally grool. While the story has had a few tweaks since 2004, some things still remain the same: school-wide Plastics domination, feuding frenemies, pink on Wednesdays and the almighty Glen Coco. But with a new look comes a new setting – and, by default, a new school. Where was the new movie filmed? We have all the answers (and Mean Girls filming locations) you need.
The Real Life Locations That Made The New Mean Girls
What Is Mean Girls (2024) About?
Most of us should know the plot of Mean Girls – and be able to quote it – rather well by now. It did come out 20 years ago, after all. But for those who don’t remember (or missed a pivotal piece of pop culture by not watching the film), here’s a recap from Paramount Pictures:
‘From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, MEAN GIRLS. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.’
Rather than a complete revamp of the 2004 film – which was written by Tina Fey and, in turn, based on Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes – the new Mean Girls is takes its cues from the Broadway musical. Yes, that means there will indeed be singing and (likely) dancing in the film.
Is North Shore High School Real?
Unfortunately, North Shore High School is not a real place. In the 2004 movie (and its 2011 sequel), North Shore was based on New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois – with exterior shots filmed at the Etobicoke Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The 2024 remake still features a North Shore High School, but filming took place at Mater Dei Prep in Middletown Township, New Jersey. The school, which was established in the 1960s, served as the perfect location for filming since it closed its doors as en educational institute in 2022 – leaving it free for large-scale productions like Mean Girls.
Where Is The New Mean Girls Set?
Following in the footsteps of the 2004 film, it’s suggested that Mean Girls (2024) is set in Evanston, Illinois.
Where Was Mean Girls Filmed?
Mean Girls (2024) may be set in Illinois, but the production was filmed primarily in Middletown, a township in New Jersey, from March to April 2023. As previously noted, the scenes for North Shore High School were reportedly filmed at Mater Dei Prep.
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Who Stars?
Luckily for 2004 Mean Girls fans, the new adaptation will feature quite a few familiar faces. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows will be reprising their roles as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall, while the OG Cady Heron, Lindsay Lohan, will be making a cameo as the moderator of the mathematics competition.
Those who saw the run of the show on Broadway will have noticed that Reneé Rapp will be returning as the queen bee, Regina George.
You can see the full list of cast members below:
- Angourie Rice as Cady Heron
- Reneé Rapp as Regina George
- Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis ‘Imi’ike
- Jaquel Spivey as Damian Hubbard
- Avantika as Karen Shetty
- Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners
- Christopher Briney as Aaron Samuels
- Jenna Fischer as Ms. Heron
- Busy Philipps as Mrs. George
- Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury
- Tim Meadows as Principal Duvall
What’s On The Film’s Soundtrack?
Many of the songs from the Broadway musical were reworked for the 2024 version of Mean Girls, with Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin returning to update the film’s soundtrack. The soundtrack itself features 12 musical numbers from the film, with a mixture of old and new songs. A new single titled ‘Not My Fault’, performed by Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion, was also released ahead of the film’s premier.
Is It In Cinemas?
Mean Girls hits US movie theatres on 12 January 2024, and UK cinemas on 19 January 2024 (note that some venues will be showing previews in the UK from 17 January 2024). If you’re watching on a Wednesday, make sure you wear pink.
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Can You Stream It?
Not yet, but since Mean Girls is a Paramount Pictures production, it will likely be available later down the line on Paramount+.
Featured image: Mean Girls
