In 2020, Netflix took over Universal Pictures’ vision of adapting Soman Chainani’s popular fantasy hexalogy The School for Good and Evil into a live-action feature film that would be directed by Paul Feig.
The crew has filmed in the famous The Belfast Harbour Studios in Northern Ireland and the cast has been sharing snippets from their on-set escapades where they are often fully geared.
Chainani’s story, the final book of which was released in 2020, focuses on the various adventures of best friends Agatha and Sophie who attend the magical institution of School for Good and Evil where they receive training to become future heroes or villains. Starring the likes of Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Kit Young and more, the film will hopefully live up to the stature of adult fantasy novels.
On July 4, 2021, Feig posted a picture on Instagram, thanking the cast and the crew for their immense cooperation as well as the people of Belfast who made him fall in love. The CEO of Northern Ireland Screen, Richard Williams, has expressed his gratitude towards the crew for having selected Belfast and for having employed a bulk of the crew from Northern Ireland. He said that it was highly beneficial as it would help boost their “reputation as a leading centre for film and television production”.
However, quite recently, Feig heightened the anticipation for fans by posting a teaser from the sets of the film which shows Theron and Washington decked in their full costumes, listening intently to the director.
The scene later cuts to Feig yelling a resounding “Cut”, before an automated voiceover tells us “And that is a wrap for The School for Good and Evil”. In the background, before the giant doors close in on us, a fight sequence can be briefly seen where the characters are most likely engaging in a battle. Posting this teaser, Feig wrote, “The School for Good and Evil is closed… until 2022! Filmed our last pickup shot today and so it’s a wrap..”.
With stunning visuals and wonderful costumes, fans are waiting eagerly for the release of the film which shall most likely grace the streaming platform in 2022, according to Feig’s Instagram story and considering the end of production.
While we wait to see what the film has in store for Sophie, Agatha and the Coven, take a look at the insightful interview that Netflix coordinated between Soman Chainani and the Coven as a part of Netflix Geeked Week that gives us an idea about their respective characters as well as filming experience.
