Netflix has published the official trailer for its next feature film The School for Good and Evil after teasing audiences with a number of fresh photos. Filmed adaptation of Soman Chainani’s best-selling book series about two girls who enrol at a school where fairy tales are born. Starting with views of the School for Good and Evil itself, the trailer has a voiceover from Charlize Theron’s Lady Lesso, the Dean of the School of Evil, describing the bare minimum essence of who is picked for the School. The film’s two main protagonists, Sophie and Agatha, played by Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wylie, are then spirited away to the boarding school.
As it progresses, the trailer immerses audiences in the film’s mystical universe, giving us a sneak peek at the school grounds, the training facilities, and the fantastical beasts we may anticipate to encounter. Kerry Washington, who plays Dean of the School of Good Professor Dovey, is included, as is Michelle Yeoh, who plays Professor Anemone, and Laurence Fishburne, who plays The School Master. The trailer is both an informational aid (it tells you more about the plot) and an aesthetic treat (it gives you an idea of the movie’s style). It clearly differentiates the two factions of the school through elaborate set and costume design.
The film’s inclusion of the Institution for Evil suggests an emphasis on the story’s darker elements, particularly Agatha’s struggle to save Sophie and the school as a whole. Although it was adapted from a series written for middle graders, it has several YA-centric touches that set it apart. It’s aimed at an older demographic, so it tells a narrative that many have heard before, but adds some twists and turns of its own. At The School for Good and Evil, two close friends named Sophie and Agatha enrol in a school that prepares its students to act as either heroes or villains in various fairy tales.
Sophie feels positive that she will be admitted to the School of Good, whereas Agatha seems to be a natural fit for the School of Evil at first glance. Once the girls arrive and are put, however, the tables are turned and they are forced to face the truth about who they are. Their bond is quickly tested when they are thrust into a perilous expedition. Paul Feig directed and produced the movie he co-wrote with David Magee and Laura Solon. Laura Fischer of Feigco, Joe Roth, Jane Startz, and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum are the producers. The show’s executive producers are Chainani, Zack Roth, and Patricia Riggen. Others in the cast are Mark Heap, Jamie Flatters, Freya Parks, Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Rachel Bloom, and Patti LuPone.
On Wednesday, October 19, The School for Good and Evil will be available on Netflix.