Mean Girls Musical Casts The Office Star Jenna Fischer for Paramount+ Remake

Paramount’s Mean Girls musical movie has added The Office alum Jenna Fischer to its cast. According to Deadline, Fischer will be playing Ms. Heron, mother of Cady Heron, in the film. It’s the role that Ana Gasteyer played in the original 2004 film. The Tony-nominated Broadway musical this new musical film is based on was inspired by that 2004 film. Fischer is best known for playing Pam Beesly on NBC’s The Office for nine seasons.

The film adaptation of the Mean Girls musical was first announced in 2021. It was previously announced that the film will star Angourie Rice (Spider-Man: Far From Home) as Cady, the role originated by Lindsay Lohan in the film. The cast will also feature Reneé Rapp (Sex Lives of College Girls) as Regina George, a role she also played on Broadway as well as Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) as Janis, and Jaquel Spivey (Broadway’s A Strange Loop) as Damian. Avantika (Senior Year), Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty), and Bebe Wood (Love, Victor) have also been cast in the Mean Girls movie musical.  Fey also plans to appear in the movie alongside Tim Meadows, who played the principal, Mr. Duvall, in the original film.

“We couldn’t age out. Teachers work forever,” Fey explained. “I want it to be like when Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island would be at a trade show and you’d be like, ‘Oh, he looks so old in his little hat.’ That’s my goal.” She added, “We have an amazing cast. I’m super excited about this cast.” 

Will the Mean Girls Musical Movie Change the Music? 

The show’s music was created by Jeff Richmond who recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming film, and teased some changes to the Broadway songs.

“What we’re trying to do [with the movie] is take the score that sounds like a Broadway score — in a good way — and [give] the movie a fresher palette,” Richmond explained. “To make it sound more like stuff you want to listen to on Spotify, as opposed to when you’re sitting eighth row center at a Broadway theater or the Pantages. It’s kind of making it a fresher, younger take on the whole thing. We’re kind of reinvented the music for the movie, so it’s really fun.”

Nadina Hassan, who plays Regina George in the touring version of the musical, added, “We’re one of just a handful of girls who get to play these roles professionally and at this level, and that’s such a blessing. Because now, when the movie comes out, what we’ve done will also get to be shared with so many other people who maybe weren’t able to come see us on tour or weren’t able to go see the Broadway cast. I always feel so lucky to just be a part of this legacy.”