Netflix has released an official trailer for The School of Good and Evil, a much-anticipated adaptation of Soman Chainani's internationally bestselling novel of the same name. The film, directed by Paul Feig (Ghostbusters, Last Christmas), features a venerable cast that includes Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, and Kerry Washington.
Released in 2013, Chainani's first novel reached worldwide acclaim as the story of two girls swept from the ordinary into the extraordinary world of a school devoted to the balance of good and evil forces, the source from which all fairytale villains and heroes derive. Polar opposite best friends, Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso ) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) wind up unexpectedly on opposites sides of the divide in the school populated with eccentric and mysterious characters like Lady Lesso (Theron) and Professor Dovey (Washington).
The new School for Good and Evil trailer unveiled by Netflix reveals the colorful and fantastical world that the girls are plucked up by a giant bird and dropped suddenly into, including a whirl of beautiful sets and crafted effects that will delight fans of the book and fantasy audiences alike. Established and award-winning performers like Theron, Washington, Yeoh, and Fishburne provide leadership at the school, with newcomers Caruso and Wylie rounding out the cast. The school’s very existence comes under threat when one of the girls, Sophie, becomes a formidable villain.
Agatha battles sinister forces plucked from fairytales to save her friend, who falls in league with the evil side and upsets the tenuous balance between good and bad forces. The trailer reveals a host of popular fairytale characters and iconography, including King Arthur, Cinderella, and Snow White's famous mirror. A teaser trailer was released earlier in the summer, as well as a cache of images this past week, whetting the appetite of both fantasy aficionados and fans of the first book in the series, which has spawned Chainani a franchise that totals seven books.
Melding teen drama with fantasy, The School for Good and Evil will no doubt appeal to audiences, both for its familiar fairytale laden-subject matter and its formidable casting of Theron, Washington, Fishburne, and Yeoh, whose performances look to be on point (including voiceover narration from Cate Blanchett as The Storian.) The concept of magical schools and academies is a popular one as well, from the reigning fascination with Hogwarts to Netflix hits like The Order and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
The School for Good and Evil premieres on Netflix on October 19th, 2022.
Source: Netflix