Following last year’s smash hit The Old Guard and its upcoming sequel, Charlize Theron is once again teaming up with Netflix for another of the streaming giant’s major original movies. This time, the South African actress is set to star in Paul Feig’s The School for Good and Evil, a YA fantasy film based on the best-selling novel series by Soman Chainani.
Feig confirmed the news on Twitter this Friday, revealing that Kerry Washington has signed up to appear alongside Theron. “I know what school I’m applying to!” The director said in his tweet. “So thrilled to welcome Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington to the School for Good and Evil! Everyone, prepare to get schooled!” The attached image made clear that Theron and Washington will be playing two teachers at the magic school – Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey.
I know what school I’m applying to! So thrilled to welcome Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington to the School for Good and Evil! Everyone, prepare to get schooled! @CharlizeAfrica @kerrywashington @netflix @NetflixFilm pic.twitter.com/IgmoDABkp0
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) February 19, 2021
The School for Good and Evil follows best friends Sophie and Agatha as they start attending the titular school, a place where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. Sophie, who dreams of being a princess, expects to join the School for Good while Agatha, a goth with a wicket pet cat, intends to join the School for Evil. However, the pair are ultimately enrolled the other way around, making them question themselves and their friendship.
Sounding like a mix of Sky High, Disney’s Descendants and Harry Potter (particularly The Cursed Child), Netflix could have another massive hit with younger audiences on their hands here. This also follows their current obsession with making projects about Hogwarts-like fantasy schools – see: Fate: The Winx Saga and Addams Family reboot Wednesday.
Netflix is reportedly moving forward with The Old Guard 2, starring Theron, while Washington was just seen in the streamer’s award-nominated musical The Prom. And as for Paul Feig, he’s developing monster movie Dark Army for Universal.