Mean Girls' Tina Fey confirms reboot is in same universe as original

Once more, original screenwriter Tina Fey has penned the scripts but not only that, Fey also returns as the school's maths teacher Ms Norbury, the same role we saw her as in the 2004 film with Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams.

So, with Fey returning as well as Tim Meadows as the school's principal (and Norbury's new husband), are we to believe that the films are in the same universe?

Well, Fey told Entertainment Weekly: "I wouldn't look at it with a microscope. It doesn't entirely make sense, but it's a multiverse. That's what it is. Yeah, it's a Spider-Man. I don't really know those movies, so I don't know if what I'm saying applies."

Speaking about the decision to reprise her role from the 2004 film, Fey said: "Paramount was like, 'We would like you to [play Ms. Norbury],' and I could get my head around doing it if Tim [Meadows] would do it too.

"Because my best friend's a teacher and teachers are there a long time. So I could get my head around the idea that we would still be there without breaking the universe and that we'd see these same patterns happening in front of us...and not look too closely at the fact that the kids have the same names."

Although Lohan doesn't have a main role in the new film, there is a major nod to the original as Lohan does make a surprise appearance towards the end of the film.

The new film sees a brand new cast of actors taking on the iconic roles with Mare of Easttown's Angourie Rice and The Sex Lives of College Girls actress Reneé Rapp taking on the roles of Cady Heron and Regina George.

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According to the film's synopsis: "New student Cady Heron 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 and her minions Gretchen and Karen.

"However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels, 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 and Damian she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school."

Mean Girls is released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 17th January 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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