The School for Good and Evil<\/a> has its roots in a series of books by American author Soman Chainani \u2013 a series that so far consists of six novels and a companion handbook.<\/p>\nThe film is an adaptation of the first book in the series, and although in many ways it remains loyal to the source material, it also makes one or two changes, with director Paul Feig explaining that \u201cwe always made sure to get his [Chainani\u2019s] advice on the changes\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard for an author or a creator of any original material to give it over to somebody else and let it be reinterpreted, but it was really important to have Soman involved because it\u2019s his baby,\u201d Feig explains in the press notes for the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven before I came on board, the producers were developing it for many years to make sure we got it right, that we got the things that the fans would want out of the book, while still being able to introduce this story to people who haven\u2019t discovered the books yet.\u201d<\/p>\n