Over the years, Netflix has become an exciting place for YA fans to see some inspired adaptations of their favorite books and novel series, with shows like Shadow and Bone, Fear Street, To All The Boys I Loved Before and 13 Reasons Why. That tradition continues with a movie adapting author Soman Chainani’s fantasy series, The School For Good And Evil.
Directed by Bridesmaid’s Paul Feig, the new Netflix original movie follows friends Sophie and Agatha, who attend the School of Good and Evil as classmates and learn about their mysterious pasts and destinies. It also features an exciting, star-studded cast that we will shine the spotlight on now for you. Here is a breakdown of who is playing who in Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil cast.
Sofia Wylie
Playing one of the film’s main protagonists, Agatha, is Sofia Wylie, who has played a Marvel character before – namely Riri “Ironheart” Williams on Disney XD’s Spider-Man series and in a few animated shorts. Her first taste of fame was as a dancer on America’s Got Talent in 2015 and, two years later, being cast on Nickelodeon’s Nicky, RIcky, Dicky & Dawn and Disney Channel’s Andi Mack. Two years after that, was cast as the lead of a short-lived Disney show about dancing called Shook, and as a main character of Disney+’s hit series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Sophia Anne Caruso
As Agatha’s best friend, Sophie (who is placed in the School of Evil), we have Sophia Anne Caruso, who is best known for originating the role of Lydia Deetz for Broadway’s take on Beetlejuice. She had earlier experience with screen acting from appearing in 2008’s Eagle Eye and 2011’s I Am Number Four from director D.J. Caruso (no relation), and she also played Brigitta in NBC’s The Sound of Music Live! in 2013, but The School For Good And Evil marks her first lead role in a film.
Laurence Fishburne
Another cast member with Marvel titles under his belt (2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp) in addition to DC movies (he played Perry White in the DECU) is Laurence Fishburne, whose earlier work includes playing Cowboy Curtis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, as well as starring in grounded, thought-provoking dramas like Boyz n the Hood. However, the Oscar nominee (for What’s Love Got to Do with It) is best known as Morpheus, whom he did not reprise in the fourth installment of the Matrix movies. However, he did reunite with Keanu Reeves for the last few John Wick movies and will reprise his role as the Bowery King for that franchise’s upcoming fourth installment.
Michelle Yeoh
Reportedly playing Professor Emma Anemone from the School of Good, is Michelle Yeoh – who is also best-known for playing heroic badasses like Jessica Yang in Supercop, Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies, Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, or Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once, more recently. Of course, those are only some of Yeoh's best movies, which also include a couple of MCU films (as a different character in each), some rom-coms (such as when she was in the Crazy Rich Asians cast) and last worked with Paul Feig on Last Christmas), and her recent voice over work in the Paws of Fury cast and in Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Jamie Flatters
The School for Good and Evil will be many American audiences’ first introduction to Jamie Flatters before he appears in Avatar: The Way of Water later in 2022, unless they already caught his last Netflix original movie — the European World War II-set drama, The Forgotten War, from 2020. The English actor debuted on the BBC’s coming-of-age dramedy, So Awkward, in 2015 before landing recurring roles on a more mature British drama called Liar and another dark miniseries from the U.K. called Close to Me.
Kit Young
The School for Good and Evil is only the latest Netflix original title based on a series of YA fantasy novels to star Kit Young, following his breakout role in the Shadow and Bone cast as Jesper Fahey. He made his acting debut alongside The Handmaid’s Tale cast member O-T Fagbenle in the 2008 made-for-TV military biopic, Walter’s War, and has appeared in stage productions of classic Shakespeare plays that were filmed and distributed by National Theatre Live — namely Julius Caesar in 2018 and A Midsummer Night’s Dream the following year.
Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz has a lot in common with his fellow cast members. He has starred in comic book adaptations (Guardians of the Galaxy and Amazon Prime’s live-action reboot of The Tick, for instance), Simon Pegg movies and TV shows (most notably Shaun of the Dead and Spaced), John Wick: Chapter 2, and a number of Paul Feig movies (including Spy and the aforementioned Last Christmas). However, none of his co-stars can claim to be the first actor to voice Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.
Rob Delaney
Yet another comic book movie veteran (Deadpool 2) in The School for Good and Evil cast is Rob Delaney, who is also part of the Fast and Furious movies universe (he was in the Hobbs and Shaw spin-off), worked with Charlize Theron in the Bombshell cast, worked with Paul Feig on Last Christmas, and was in Netflix’s The Bubble cast with Peter Serafinowicz. The creator and star of Amazon’s Catastrophe also had an especially busy year in 2021 with the live-action Tom & Jerry movie, Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man, the futuristic animated feature Ron’s Gone Wrong, and Disney+’s Home Sweet Home Alone.
Mark Heap
The School of Evil counterpart to Michelle Yeoh’s character, Professor Bilious Manley, is played by Mark Heap, who is no stranger to fantasy, having starred in 2007’s Stardust, and who is also known for movies like 2002’s About a Boy. However, he is best known for his scene-stealing main role on Spaced and would reunite with the hit British sitcom's star/co-creator (Simon Pegg) and director (Edgar Wright) for the apocalyptic comedy The World’s End in 2012.
Patti LuPone
Another The School for Good and Evil cast member with a theater background and a role in a Paul Feig Movie (Last Christmas) is the legendary Patti LuPone. Her first major role in a feature film was in Steven Spielberg’s 1941, which she would follow up with more acclaimed hits like Witness in 1985 and 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy, for instance. Also in 2022, she returned to the American Horror Story cast for Season 11, which is only her latest time working with producer Ryan Murphy after her recurring role on Pose and in the Netflix miniseries, Hollywood.
Rachel Bloom
Rachel Bloom’s connections to the rest of the School for Good and Evil cast include a comic book adaptation (she leant her voice to Batgirl in 2019’s Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and starring in a recent Disney+ movie (Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers from 2022). The Emmy-winning star and co-creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend can also be seen playing a Hulu-employed comedy writer in the platform’s Reboot cast and, years earlier, had a brief role on How I Met Your Mother in Season 7.
Kerry Washington
As the Dean of the School for Good, Professor Clarissa Dovey, we have Kerry Washington, who was part of The Prom cast for her last Netflix movie and has been in Marvel films – namely two Fantastic Four movies as Ben Grimm’s girlfriend, Alicia. She became a household name, however, when she was cast in her Emmy-nominated role as Olivia Pope in Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal in 2012 – the same year she reunited with her Ray co-star, Jamie Foxx, in Django Unchained. In 2020, Washington won an Emmy for executive producing Live in Front of a Studio Audience: “All in the Family” and “Good Times” and was also nominated that year for her performance in Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere.
Charlize Theron
As the Dean of the School for Evil, Lady Lesso, we have Charlize Theron, who is -- like Michelle Yeoh -- usually known best for playing heroic badasses like Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, Lorraine Broughton in Atomic Blonde, or Andy in her last Netflix movie, The Old Guard. However, she has gone bad to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (for which she won an Oscar), the royally evil Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman and its sequel, and Cipher in the Fast and Furious movies. The South African native – who broke out in Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do! cast – also received Academy attention for 2006’s North Country and 2019’s Bombshell, and recently joined the MCU as Doctor Strange’s love interest, Clea.
With a director as versatile as Paul Feig at the helm and a star-studded ensemble like this, we could be looking at the next Harry Potter — in terms of being a successful franchise based on a series of YA fantasy books. Stream The School for Good and Evil on Netflix, if you have not already, to see for yourself.
