In October 2022, Paul Feig spoke with ScreenRant about directing “The School for Good and Evil” and revealed what drew him to the project in the first place. Feig was quick to point to the film’s themes.
The director said, “I loved the script. I loved the story. I thought the story of this friendship between these two young women was just so wonderful. It had so many lovely moves in it, but also, I just love that it was about not giving up on your friends. I thought that was just a really lovely theme, and how you can tell that on a very big canvas by getting to create a brand-new world for this.”
Feig went on to praise the books and Soman Chainani’s writing for evoking a compelling friendship that saves both Sophie and Agatha. Further, Feig revealed that he finds himself drawn to female friendships, such as in this film. The director continued, “I think those friendships that I’ve observed throughout my life are some of the strongest kind of relationships I’ve ever seen. And I think there’s something lovely about how non-judgmental it tends to be and how supportive it is. This just seemed like a really big way to tell that kind of a dynamic.”
