Paul Feig to direct adaptation of The School of Good and Evil for Netflix
by Craig Risi
Paul Feig has mostly built his career around big comedies like Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy (along with episodes of The Office and Arrested Development), but he has been trying to expand his repertoire over the years, usually to mixed results.
Last year’s thriller A Simple Favour was well received, which is perhaps why he’ll once again be helming what could be the most diverse and different movie of his career so far. Variety is reporting that Feig will be directing The School of Good and Evil for Netflix. Based on a novel series by Soman Chainani, The School of Good and Evil is set in a world where ordinary children are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. The series follows the story of best friends Agatha and Sophie. While Sophie expects to be picked for the School for Good and Agatha seems a natural fit for the academy of villains, the girls find their paths reversed.
It’s a story that blends a lot of fantasy and fairy tale elements along with being directed firmly at teenagers, an audience that is perhaps not Feig’s traditional target market. Still, it would be good to see how he takes on this different source material. The last time he tackled a popular franchise, we got the controversial Ghostbuster’s reboot, so hopefully this time he can do the series justice, especially considering how fans will be hyped as the final book in the series is set to be released soon.
The School of Good and Evil will be based off a script by David Magee and Laura Solon. It’s the type of film that has been popular with Netflix and if it can appeal to younger audiences the way they have responded to other big sci-fi/fantasy films, Netflix could have a new franchise on their hands.