The School for Good and Evil movie release date 2022

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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 like Harry Potter, Once Upon a Time, and The Forbidden Forest. In the last five years, Netflix has made an effort to swell its repertoire of fantasy novel and graphic novel adaptations, having debuted The Umbrella Academy¸ The Witcher, Warrior Nun, Cursed, Locke & Key, and Letter for the King. The next in line is The School for Good and Evil, a film adaptation based on Soman 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 the most anticipated movies of 2022, The School for Good and Evil has been stuck in development hell since 2013 when Joe Roth's Roth Films teamed up with Jane Startz to acquire rights to produce the film. Universal Pictures won the auction for the book and scriptwriting fees and brought Roth, Startz, and Palak Patel as 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 Evil follows 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 about The School for Good and Evil, including the cast, release window, and teaser trailer.

Image via Netflix

Editor’s Note: This piece was last updated on October 16 to add the latest trailer and release date.

When Is The School for Good and Evil Releasing?

The School for Good and Evil is set to be released on October 19, 2022. 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 the Trailer 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 of Charlize Theron comes 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. The full-length trailer was released in September 2022. Most recently, we got another trailer for the movie, with a greater focus on the magical school and its residents. Check out the latest trailer below:

Who Is in the Cast of The School for Good and Evil?

The School for Good and Evil boasts 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 musical Beetlejuice, will be playing Sophie. Sofia Wylie (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) will play Agatha. The iconic Cate 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 and Kerry Washingtonwill play Professor Clarissa Dovey, the school's Dean of Good. Michelle Yeoh plays Professor Emma Anemone. Three-time Emmy Award winner Laurence Fishburne will 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), and Mark Heap (Spaced,Lark Rise to Candleford) will also star in the film. The movie also features Ben Kingsley, Patti LuPone, and Rob Delaney. The rest of the cast includes Earl 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, and Demi Isaac Oviawe amongst others

What Is the Background of The School for Good and Evil?

Image via Netflix

The film is based on Soman Chainani’s fantasy book hexalogy. The School for Good and Evil is 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 has described as 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 Feig serves as the director. Feig's directorial portfolio includes Bridesmaids, Spy, A Simple Favor, and the rebooted Ghostbusters.After Netflix purchased the rights to the film from Universal Pictures, they brought in David Magee and Laura Solon as screenwriters in 2017. Fiona Weir who has got experience with popular fantasy films such as Harry Potter, Love, Actually, The Golden Compass, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the casting director. The movie was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and completed production in July 2021.

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.