The words magical school might conjure visions of a certain lightning-bolted boy wizard, but at the School for Good and Evil, it’s not really about the boys. The upcoming release, directed by Paul Feig and based on the popular novel series by Soman Chainani, goes deeper than the prototypical hero-villain story arc. It goes straight to the heart of a far more complicated symbiotic connection: the best friendship of two teenage girls. 

GEEKED WEEK Sits Down with the Stars of ‘The School for Good and Evil’

During Netflix’s Geeked Week, Chainani and School stars Sophia Anne Caruso (who plays Sophie) and Sofia Wylie (who plays Agatha) sat down to answer fan questions about the film. They revealed some never-before-heard secrets about what to expect from the September 2022 release, which also stars Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington. Caruso, Wylie and Chainani all agreed that while School is definitely about the powerful opposing forces of good and evil, it’s really about two friends learning to trust each other, even when things don’t turn out the way they expect.

“It’s about friendship, and seeing eye to eye, and seeing the good and bad in each other and accepting it,” Caruso told Geeked Week fans. “It’s a balance of those, plus the friendship, because what’s better than a best friend?”

Chainani said that watching his words come to life on-screen was an incredible honor, and the visual experience created by Paul Feig and his team was exactly what he had in mind when he wrote the series — a badass girl-powered fantasy, but one that harnesses the actual IRL magic of an unbreakable best friendship.

“I wanted a magical school that felt like a Madonna concert,” Chainani said. “I wanted this high female energy that’s powering the school.”

For more juicy insights on how some of the most magical moments from the original series were translated on-screen (including the fan-favorite Wish Fish), check out this exclusive video from Geeked Week and make sure to stay until the end for a sneak peek of the trailer.

Geeked Week is a celebration of Netflix’s immersive slate of storytelling across sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, anime and more. Check out the full schedule here. For more, follow Netflix Geeked on Twitter.