Class is in session for The School for Good and Evil. Director and co-writer Paul Feig is bringing the bestselling book series by Soman Chainani to life this October, but this story isn’t your typical “once upon a time.” 

Best friends and misfits Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) couldn’t be any different. Sophie’s a golden-haired seamstress who dreams of becoming a princess, while Agatha has a grim aesthetic perfect for an aspiring witch. One night under a blood red moon, a powerful force sweeps the two girls away to the School for Good and Evil — where the true stories behind every great fairy tale begin. Upon their arrival, something doesn’t seem right. Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, led by the glamourous and acid-tongued Lady Lesso (Charlize Theron), and Agatha is enrolled in the School for Good, overseen by the sunny and kind Professor Dovey (Kerry Washington). As they navigate their diverged destinies and attend classes with the children of other famous storybook characters, the two friends must find a way back to their rightful schools.

“You learn over the course of the film what we inherently know in real life — which is nobody is all one thing,” Feig tells Tudum. “We're all a mix of good and evil, scared and brave, confident and insecure, right and wrong. In short, we’re all only human.” 

Joining Caruso, Wylie, Theron and Washington on the roster are Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Flatters, Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Rob Delaney, Mark Heap, Patti LuPone and Rachel Bloom. Even with a star-studded cast fit for an epic fairytale, the only thing that matters for Sophie and Agatha is getting their happy ending. 

“I love the idea of an epic live action film with female friendship at its center. It feels really compelling as a story for all audiences and something that you sadly don’t see very often,” Feig says. “And even though SGE is a giant fantasy film, it feels really relatable, exploring the concepts of good and evil and asking us to examine what they are exactly.” 

Prepare to stream The School for Good and Evil on Oct. 21.