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Good and evil, heroes and villains, much of human existence has been devoted to the eternal struggle between these two concepts. In most fantasy films, the idea of a clash between both ideals forms the basis for the plot. This holds true for classics likeHarry Potter,Once Upon a Time, andThe Forbidden Forest. In the last five years, Netflix has made an effort to swell its repertoire of fantasy novel and graphic novel adaptations, having debutedThe Umbrella Academy¸The Witcher,Warrior Nun,Cursed, Locke & Key, andLetter for the King. The next in line isThe School for Good and Evil, a film adaptation based onSoman Chainani’s best-selling YA hexalogy of books. Fans of the book series will be thrilled to learn that their favorite book is hitting the screens. Unlike most film adaptations where the story in the book more or less matches up with the film adaptation, this time there is a major twist that will let fans experience the movie differently.Touted as one of themost anticipated movies of 2022,The School for Good and Evilhas been stuck in development hell since 2013 whenJoe Roth’s Roth Films teamed up withJane Startzto acquire rights to produce the film. Universal Pictures won the auction for the book and scriptwriting fees and brought Roth, Startz, andPalak Patelas producers. Not much progress happened after that, in part due to the pandemic, until Netflix stepped in and took over from Universal Pictures to turn the series into a feature film.The School for Good and Evilfollows the life of two young girls who are taken away to a school that trains children to be villains and heroes. Though friends, these girls couldn’t be any more different, with one having a grim and creepy personality while the other has dreams of being a fairytale princess. Check out this guide to find out everything we know so far aboutThe School for Good and Evil, including the cast, release window, and teaser trailer.Editor’s Note: This piece was last updated on October 16 to add the latest trailer and release date.Related:Ranking Netflix’s 2022 Original Movie Slate: From ‘The Adam Project’ to ‘The Gray Man’
When Is The School for Good and Evil Releasing?
The School for Good and Evilis set to be released on June 19, 2025. It was initially set to release a few days later, on October 21, but has since been moved up. The movie will be available exclusively on Netflix.
Watch theTrailer for The School for Good and Evil
Netflix released a teaser trailer that shows the first sneak peek into the film in June 2022. The voice ofCharlize Theroncomes alive as she narrates most of the short teaser. There are scenes of the main characters Agatha and Sophie being kidnapped and taken to the school by some sort of flying creature. The young Sophie, while mid-air, recognizes that their destination must be the much-talked-about School. Excited, she turns to the bewildered Agatha to remind her that they are truly being whisked away to the school of her dreams. Thefull-length trailerwas released in September 2022. Most recently, we got another trailer for the movie, with agreater focus on the magical schooland its residents. Check out the latest trailer below:
Who Is in theCast of The School for Good and Evil?
The School for Good and Evilboasts a stellar cast that is sure to leave fans happy and excited.Sophia Anne Caruso, who is best known for originating the role of Lydia Deetz in the Broadway musicalBeetlejuice, will be playing Sophie.Sofia Wylie(High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) will play Agatha. The iconicCate Blanchett(Elizabeth: The Golden Age) has been cast as the narrator.Presiding as headmistress of the mythical School for Evil will be Charlize Theronas Lady Lesso andKerry Washingtonwill play Professor Clarissa Dovey, the school’s Dean of Good.Michelle Yeohplays Professor Emma Anemone. Three-time Emmy Award winnerLaurence Fishburnewill star as The School Master, whisking the girls away to the schools of Good and Evil.
Rachel Bloom(Crazy Ex-Girlfriend),Peter Serafinowicz(South Park,Shaun of the Dead), andMark Heap(Spaced,Lark Rise to Candleford) will also star in the film. The movie also featuresBen Kingsley,Patti LuPone, andRob Delaney. The rest of the cast includesEarl Cave,Rosie Graham,Freya Parks,Jamie Flatters,Holly Sturton,Chinenye Ezeudu,Stephanie Siadatan,Petra Hajduk,Kit Young,Abigail Stones,Kaitlyn Akinpelumi,Ali Khan,Myles Kamwendo,Emma Lau,Olivia Booth-Ford, andDemi Isaac Oviaweamongst others
Related:‘The School For Good and Evil’ Images Offer Enchanting Look at Fantasy Drama
What Is the Background of The School for Good and Evil?
The film is based on Soman Chainani’s fantasy book hexalogy.The School for Good and Evilis the first book in Chainani’s series, which was published in 2013. The book has sold more than 2.5 million copies and has been translated into 30 languages across six continents. Chainani has been brought on to serve as an executive producer and was consulted with the adaptation, which he hasdescribedas a “very different animal” as compared to the book. So it looks like the movie will follow a different plotline, but in keeping with the spirit of the novel.
Paul Feigserves as the director. Feig’s directorial portfolio includesBridesmaids,Spy,A Simple Favor, and the rebootedGhostbusters.After Netflix purchased the rights to the film from Universal Pictures, they brought inDavid MageeandLaura Solonas screenwriters in 2017.Fiona Weirwho has got experience with popular fantasy films such asHarry Potter,Love, Actually,The Golden Compass, andFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themis the casting director. The movie was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and completed production in July 2021.
What Is The School for Good and Evil About?
The plot is focused on the life of two young friends, Sophie and Agatha. Sophie is the quintessential pink-wearing, fun-loving, pretty sweetheart. While she has dreams of leaving her village to join the likes of Cinderella and Snow White, her friend Agatha is different. Not liked by many people, she lives in the village graveyard with her mum, who is also the village witch. Unlike Sophie, Agatha is basically a social outcast.Despite these differences, they are the best of friends.
In their little village, they realize that strange disappearances occur on a certain day every year. The suspicion is that the two kids that vanish each year are stolen away by The School Master who places them in two castles – one for Good and one for Evil. Sophie begins to fantasize about being taken by The School Master to learn how to become a princess, while Agatha isn’t overtly interested and would prefer for her and her friend to be left alone. She knows that if there ever is such a disappearance, she is destined to be a witch. When the inevitable happens and both girls are swept away, there is a mix-up that changes their lives forever.
