Netflix's star-studded 'School for Good and Evil' trailer shows off Hogwarts for fairy tale characters

Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) goes all in on the fantasy genre with the official trailer for The School for Good and Evil. Slated to arrive on Netflix next month, the film adapts the best-selling international book series penned by Soman Chainani and takes place at an academy where fairy tale heroes and villains go to learn their craft.

Kerry Washington (Scandal), Charlize Theron (The Old Guard), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) lead the project as high-ranking educators at the titular school. The fate of the world hangs in the balance when two best friends — Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) from the village of Gavaldon — are accepted into opposing factions. Along the way, they'll take classes with the children of famous tall tale figures like the Wicked Witch (Freya Parks), Captain Hook (Earl Cave), and King Arthur (Jamie Flatters).

"Both of the girls have strengths that complement each other," Wylie explained during an interview with Netflix's behind-the-scenes blog, Tudum. "When one of the characters is faltering, the other is there to pick them up. And yes, while they might fight and argue, at the end of the day, they love each other!"

"I'm excited for viewers to see an example of friendship between two female protagonists [like Agatha and Sophie]," added Caruso. "The movie is full of magic, but the real heart of it and the true magic is their love."

Watch the trailer now:

Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Rob Delaney, Mark Heap, Patti LuPone, Rachel Bloom, Demi Isaac Oviawe, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi, Holly Sturton, Emma Lau, Briony Scarlett, Ally Cubb, Rosie Graham, Joelle, Chinenye Ezeudu, Oliver Watson, Ali Khan, Myles Kamwendo, and Misia Butler round out the cast. Cate Blanchett lends her voice to the role of "The Storian."

Feig co-wrote the screenplay with David Magee (Life of Pi, Mary Poppins Returns) and serves as a producer with Joe Roth, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Jane Startz, and Laura Fischer. Stephen Jones, Zack Roth, Chris Castaldi, Soman Chainani, Patricia Riggen are executive producers.

"Everything I learned about storytelling — and about fairy tales in general — I learned from Disney," Chainani told USA Today in 2016. "When I went to college, however, and took a class about the history of fairy tales, I became fascinated by the gap between the original stories and the Disney revisions I had grown up with. Somewhere in that gap, The School for Good and Evil was born."

The School for Good and Evil premieres on Netflix Wednesday, Oct. 19.

(L-R) Kerry Washington as Professor Dovey, Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso in The School for Good and Evil Photo: Helen Sloan/Netflix © 2022

Looking for some fantasy content to tide you over? Click here for our list of the best fantasy films available on Peacock.