Teen Wolf: The Movie - Everything You Need To Know

Teen romance never goes out of style, and no show emphasized this more than MTV's "Teen Wolf." A loose reboot of the Michael J. Fox classic, the series aired in 2011 featuring a new Scott (Tyler Posey) as he comes of age while also turning into a werewolf. Over the course of six seasons, Scott fell in love, had his heart broken, and learned lesson about what it takes to be a true leader — and transformed into a literal monster a lot, too. And though "Teen Wolf" ended after a good run on MTV, some things never die.

It hasn't been that long since "Teen Wolf" let out its last howl, but it's time for a comeback. Our beloved teen wolves have turned into adult wolves and are ready to teach a new generation of supernatural kids in "Teen Wolf: The Movie." Debuting exclusively on Paramount+, the film found Scott reuniting with stoic werewolf Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) and banshee Lydia (Holland Roden) for another adventure in the supernatural town of Beacon Hills. Paramount+ released "Teen Wolf: The Movie: to subscribers on January 26, 2023, and here are all the important details.

Thanks to the mystical Nemeton that made its dramatic appearance during the original series, there's no shortage of magical energy surrounding Beacon Hills. A literal beacon attracting supernatural creatures, it looks like Scott will have to save his hometown from calamity once again. But when you think you've seen it all, "Teen Wolf: The Movie" mixes it up. Scott's true love Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), died at the end of Season 3 after being on the wrong end of an Oni sword, but returns for the revival as the bow and arrow-wielding hunter.

"We don't even know if she's alive," Reed admitted to Entertainment Weekly. "We're not supposed to tell you if she's even alive or not. That's what we got. She's back but is she alive?" Another twist includes the most recent teen wolf added to the mix. Derek is now a father to Eli (Vince Mattis), who struggles with controlling his natural-born wolf powers in the wake of the return of some even more nefarious than usual Oni. With old foes and new ones out for blood, Scott uses his status as the true Alpha to put everything right again.

Throughout the trials and tribulations of werewolfism, Scott McCall has had to say goodbye to many friends. But surprisingly, almost all of them seemed to need the call of the pack. In addition to Tyler Posey, many stars from the original returned for "Teen Wolf: The Movie," including Tyler Hocehlin (Derek), Holland Roden (Lydia), and Shelley Hennig (Malia), representing significant parts of Scott's pack. And, of course, it wouldn't be "Teen Wolf" without the trademark snark of Derek's morally ambiguous Uncle Peter, played by Ian Bohen.

But perhaps most surprising to return are the characters that have been long missing. Crystal Reed made a return as Allison Argent, whose death sent a shockwave of grief through the series. Colton Haynes reprised his role as Jackson Whittemore, entitled rich boy turned kanima turned werewolf. Though Jackson was not killed off, he had an early departure in Season 2, quickly explained as a move to London. Other returning actors include Dylan Sprayberry, Nobi Nakanishi, JR Bourne, Melissa Ponzio, Khylin Rhambo, Orny Adams, Seth Gilliam, Ryan Kelley, and Linden Ashby. Vince Mattis joins the franchise as Eli Hale, Derek's son.

But even with this impressive collection of cast members, there is one glaring omission. Dylan O'Brien confirmed he would not return in "Teen Wolf: The Movie" as fan-favorite character Stiles.

Just as the pack reunited on-screen, they reunited off-screen, too. Long ago, in the 2010s, Jeff Davis took on the ambitious task of rebooting the "Teen Wolf" franchise. Davis injected the series with the darkness of "The Lost Boys," creating the Beacon Hills we know today. His partnership with "Highlander" director Russell Mulcahy was lightning in a bottle, and the two were off to the races. Davis credited much of the "Teen Wolf" vision to the director who would become a long-standing presence on the series.

"[Mulcahy] brought in these amazing storyboards that he had done himself, and he had visualized the show," Davis told Collider before the series premiere. "I remember Michael Thorn and I turning to each other and being like, 'This is the guy. He's got the best ideas.' He had a way of doing it cinematically, which is what we really wanted. We wanted to go at this with a lot of style." The new Paramount+ film went with what works. Davis returned to write the screenplay for "Teen Wolf: The Movie" while Mulcahy was back in the director's chair.

"Teen Wolf," the series very loosely based on the 1980s movie franchise of the same name, aired its last episode on MTV in 2017. Six years later, the direct-to-streaming feature-length continuation was eagerly and enthusiastically received by the substantial fanbase that had made the show such a hit in the first place. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Teen Wolf: The Movie" earned a 78% audience score, calculated from more than 1,000 reviews. This means that, as far as the target audience is concerned, "Teen Wolf: The Movie" was a smash hit, delivering exactly what viewers of the 2011 to 2017 series wanted out of a sequel project.

Professional film and TV critics didn't agree with that positive sentiment. "Teen Wolf: The Movie" could manage a score of just 39%, sending the message that the film was middling at best, not quite as good as the show and not able to stand alone as its own thing. "In trying to set up a new story about a teenage werewolf, 'Teen Wolf: The Movie' fails the characters it already has, and makes a bigger mess in the process," wrote C.T. Jones of Rolling Stone.

Dylan O'Brien's absence from "Teen Wolf: The Movie" may mean a dearth of Stiles' characteristic intelligence and wit, but that doesn't mean it can't be revisited. There would be no "Teen Wolf" without Stiles, who first encouraged Scott to look for a dead body in the woods with him. After Scott's resulting werewolf bite, Stiles became the emotional touchstone as he helped his best friend face off an army of baddies time after time.

Experience Scott and Allison's love story from the beginning, Stiles' moving battle for his soul, and Derek evolving into his best self. And there is plenty of content to fill your time before the premiere of the upcoming film. Scott's journey is complete with precisely 100 episodes of content, from surviving high school to being the best young adult wolf he can be (via IMDb). Like "Teen Wolf: The Movie," the entire run of "Teen Wolf," the MTV series, is available to stream on Paramount+, as well as on Amazon's Prime Video, with some episodes available on Hulu, too.