There is good news for fans of Soman Chainani’s bestselling YA series, The school for good and evil, and fantasy lovers in general. The series is finally getting its film adaptation and it has already been touted as one of the most anticipated films of 2022. While the books were more simplistic in their message and aimed at a much younger audience, the adaptation could have a different impact. route.
Netflix took over from Universal Pictures to turn the series into live-action feature films a few years ago. Due to the pandemic and since the first book came out, the release of the movie was delayed. But this year the long wait is finally coming to an end. Paul Feig, who created the comedy series Freaks and Geeksand directed comedy hits like bridesmaids, The heat, Spyand Ghostbusters (2016), directs the film adaptation for Netflix. In addition to working on the script, Chainani has also been hired as an executive producer.
This series, first published in 2013, has many similarities with the world of There was once and Harry Potter. There are skeleton birds (such as Thestrals), an eerie forest (such as the Forbidden Forest) and humans that transform into other creatures (such as animagus or metamorphmagus witches and wizards in potterverse). There is even a tournament called Trial by Tale, which is very similar to the Triwizard tournament.
In The school for good and evil, best friends Sophie and Agatha find themselves on opposite sides of an epic battle when they are dragged into an enchanted school where aspiring heroes and villains are trained to protect the balance between good and evil. Will they make it, or will they break down on the way? The school for good and evil has the answer.
The gothic fantasy adventure film is sure to delight fans of the book it is based on, and for sure attract new fans in this incredibly rich world. It’s time to summarize the plot, cast and everything we know The school for good and evil movie so far.
Updated: September 2022 by Raquel Morales: If you’re excited about The school for good and evilyou will love to read this updated article with the trailer, cast, plot and everything else you need to know about the season.
The School of Good and Evil: The Plot
The first three books in The school for good and evil (known as The school years) follow best friends Sophie and Agatha, who end up at the School of Good and Evil. Unlike Hogwarts, which divides students into different houses based on their personalities and aspirations, this School for Good and Evil is a bit more divisive.
In this enchanted setting, children are trained to become fairytale heroes or villains. As Sophie and Agatha face stereotypes of the “pure” and the “evil” and embark on their adventures, they discover more about their true selves and motivations. They also challenge the notions of friendship and true love – foolish and binary in nature – as arranged in their world according to fairytale standards.
However, Chainani had suggested some time ago that the story would be treated differently in the adaptations of his books, saying:
That said, the movie will be a very different animal than the book. Part of the privilege of writing it is that I will allow fans to experience the world in a whole new way. No one wants a clean translation of the book, scene by scene. Besides being impractical, the reader’s imagination has already done far better than we ever could.”
And indeed, Netflix gives a different twist to the adventures of Sophie and Agatha, in which love, secrets, mystery and the past will play a decisive role. The official synopsis of the film reads:
In the village of Gavaldon, two misfits and best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie), share the most unlikely bond. Sophie, a golden-haired seamstress, dreams of escaping her bleak life to become a princess, while Agatha, with her stark aesthetic and unusual mother, has the makings of a real witch. One night under a blood-red moon, a powerful force drags them away to the School of Good and Evil – where the true stories behind every great fairy tale begin. Yet something is wrong from the start: Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, run by the glamorous and sour-tongued Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), and Agatha into the School for Good, overseen by the sunny and friendly Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington). As if navigating lessons with the descendants of the Wicked Witch (Freya Parks), Captain Hook (Earl Cave) and King Arthur (Jamie Flatters) wasn’t hard enough, according to the schoolmaster (Laurence Fishburne), only the kiss of the true love change the rules and send the girls to their rightful schools and destination. But when a dark and dangerous figure (Kit Young) with mysterious ties to Sophie resurfaces and threatens to completely destroy the school and the world beyond, the only way to a happy ending is to survive their real fairy tale first.
Judging by the synopsis and the trailer, The school for good and evil will focus on Sophie and Agatha’s friendship as the show develops the characters individually and shows us their first times and the long-buried secrets of their past. So fans will see the book’s key points reflected as they explore new nuances of the story.
The School of Good and Evil: The Cast
Sofia Wylie (from Andi Mack and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) has been cast to play Agatha. Sophia Anne Caruso, who has previously performed primarily in theater (including portraying the iconic Lydia Deetz in the Broadway musical beetle juice), Sophie will play.
But that is not everything. A great cast will make the ‘good vs. evil’ game to the next level. Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Michelle Yeoh and Laurence Fishburne play some of the most idiosyncratic professors, deans and principals of the enchanted school.
Theron will then put her angry hat back on Snow White and the Hunter and play the School for Evil Lady Lesso. Yeoh and Washington will play the School for Good Professors Anemone and Dovey respectively. Rachel Bloom (from crazy ex girlfriend) — who talked about the movie with Deadline recently –, Peter Serafinowicz (of South Park, Shaun of the Dead), and Mark Heap (spread, Lark Rise to Candleford) will also star in the film next to the Patti LuPone. Even Ben Kingsley would make an appearance.
The school for good and evil also features Rob Delaney, Earl Cave, Holly Sturton, Emma Lau Rosie Graham, Joelle, Chinenye Ezeudu, Oliver Watson, Ali Khan, Myles Kamwendo, and Misia Butler. The film is directed by Paul Feig.
Actors such as Kit Young, Jamie Flatters, Freya Theodora Parks, Demi Isaac Oviawe, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi and Briony Scarlett will play the school’s students. Fiona Weir is the casting director for the film. Her previous credits include working with David Yates for: Harry Potter, Love actually, The Golden Compass, and the successful but criticized Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Publication date
The school for good and evil will be mainly shot in Northern Ireland and is said to represent an investment of around £30million for the county. Although the film was originally slated for Christmas 2017, the film’s premiere was postponed to this year, much to fans’ disappointment.
On a positive note, The school for good and evil shall release on Netflix on October 19, 2022. The date is perfect as it is very close to Halloween, and a gothic fantasy movie like this couldn’t have been released on a better date. Will it be able to fill the huge one? potterverse-shaped hole in our hearts? Time will tell.