Everything we know about ‘Teen Wolf: The Movie’ so far

The Teen Wolf movie release date is January 26, which means it is right around the corner. Here’s everything we know so far.

Back when the Teen Wolf movie was first announced, it took me a little bit of time to put into words everything I was feeling. As a long-time fan of the series, knowing that I’d be seeing some of my favorite characters again was exciting and overwhelming all at once.

But that old fandom machine groaned alive just as Subjectify Media was taking its first steps in 2021. I wrote how the film was calling us back to Beacon Hills once more, and Natalie and I revived Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast, recording episode #153 and basically spending two hours freaking out over teen werewolves for the first time in four years.

Now that we’re inching closer to the Teen Wolf movie release date, everything is falling back into place. It’s all starting to feel a bit more normal. I can do this. I remember how.

We were grateful to be able to attend San Diego Comic-Con to cover the Teen Wolf panel in Hall H (Thursday, July 21 at 1:30-2:30pm PST), just as we had while the show was airing on MTV. The crowd was unreal, and our collective reaction to that moment in the teaser trailer will live inside me forever.

If you’re checking up on the known factors of the Teen Wolf movie, you’ve come to the right place. Much of this information has been gathered and compiled by the Teen Wolf Wiki/Teen Wolf News, and we’re thankful for their hard work and dedication.

If you want to listen to Natalie and I discuss all of this information on air, you can split your time between Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast episode #154, “Wish Us Well,” and episode #155, “High-Functioning Zombie.”

Everything we know about the ‘Teen Wolf’ movie so far

Where we left everyone

Teen Wolf season 6, episode 20, “Wolves of War,” may have been a long time ago for us, but it was even longer for the characters of the show. While the series finale aired in 2017, the characters were stuck in (roughly) 2013. It’s been 15 years since the events of that episode, so it’s important to remind ourselves where everyone was the last time we saw them.

Scott had just defeated the Anuk-Ite and healed his eyes thanks to Malia’s kiss, and they are still together by the end of the episode. Finding a young werewolf named Alec, Scott explains everything he and his friends have been through and invites him into the pack in order to better fight Monroe and the people hunting them. While more people know about the supernatural and are supportive of them, there are plenty of people out there who don’t want to see werewolves or other creatures existing in their world.

As for Derek, he’s found his place by Scott’s side, as has his brother Peter, and the Hales have once again become protectors of Beacon Hills. Lydia and Stiles are together, with the latter still working through his FBI internship. Meanwhile, Jackson and Ethan are in London, and Jackson is still very much part kanima (tail and all). Chris and Melissa are together, and Stilinski and Parrish are doing their duties as officers of the law. Lastly, Mason and Corey are still an item.

Oh, and since this is common knowledge now, we also have to talk about Allison. With Crystal Reed reprising her role in the movie, it’s important to remind everyone that Allison was last seen in Teen Wolf season 3, episode 23, “Insatiable,” where she died at the hands of the Oni.

The script

After the initial movie announcement (in which we learned Teen Wolf‘s creator Jeff Davis inked an overall deal with MTV Entertainment), Davis, executive producer Joe Genier, director Russel Mulcahy, and writer Will Wallace came together to break the story.

Davis wrote the script based on these ideas, telling Teen Wolf News that “their goal was to make everything bigger than the series.” Mulcahy directed the film, and everything is as it should be in Teen Wolf land.

Along with the official announcement, Paramount sent out a press release detailing the overall scope of the plot: “In Teen Wolf The Movie, a full moon rises in Beacon Hills and with it a terrifying evil has emerged. The wolves are howling once again, calling for the return of Banshees, Werecoyotes, Hellhounds, Kitsunes, and every other shapeshifter in the night. But only a Werewolf like Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), no longer a teenager yet still an Alpha, can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy they’ve ever faced.”

This blurb seems to be fairly generic, as there was no question about whether Tyler Posey would return as Scott McCall. It makes a point to tell us that Scott is grown up, and that he’ll be reuniting with old friends and meeting new allies in order to fight an evil that’s bigger and badder than anything we’ve ever seen before.

That’s a pretty big deal considering we’ve had a slew of interesting and dangerous villains over the years.

What initially caught our attention with this synopsis was the name-dropping of various creatures, which could be construed as a hint at who would be returning. Banshee refers to Lydia Martin, werecoyote to Malia Tate, hellhound to Jordan Parrish, and kitsune to Kira Yukimura.

teen wolf cast

Considering they didn’t mention anyone else by name other than Posey, it was obvious that contracts hadn’t been signed even if former cast members had been approached. Still, it gave us hope that we’d see some of our favorite Beacon Hills residents return for Teen Wolf: The Movie.

According to Teen Wolf News, “The movie will continue the adventures of the Scott McCall Pack in Beacon Hills and will pick up in 2026, more than 12 years after the events of Season 6 and the series finale.”

This is quite the time-jump for the show, and allows for Jeff Davis’ script to make some leaps and bounds in terms of where these characters are living these days, what they’ve lived through, and which relationships are still alive and well.

‘Teen Wolf’ movie release date

Filming took place between March 21 and May 13, 2022.

We also know that the movie filmed on existing sets in Los Angeles before moving to location in Atlanta. Many of the scenes took place around Stone Mountain in Atlanta, and they even filmed a lacrosse game at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on the campus of Kennesaw State University.

Head on over to MTV if you want to see some more Teen Wolf movie behind-the-scenes photos, and don’t forget that ALL episode of Teen Wolf are now streaming on Paramount+.

The cast (new and old)

Returning cast members for the Teen Wolf movie include:

  • Tyler Posey as Scott McCall
  • Holland Roden as Lydia Martin
  • Shelley Hennig as Malia Tate
  • Crystal Reed as Allison Argent
  • Orny Adams as Coach Bobby Finstock
  • Linden Ashby as Sheriff Noah Stilinski
  • JR Bourne as Chris Argent
  • Seth Gilliam as Dr. Alan Deaton
  • Colton Haynes as Jackson Whittemore
  • Ryan Kelley as Deputy Jordan Parrish
  • Melissa Ponzio as Melissa McCall
  • Dylan Sprayberry as Liam Dunbar
  • Tyler Hoechlin as Derek Hale
  • Khylin Rhambo as Mason Hewitt
  • Ian Bohen as Peter Hale
  • Roscoe as Roscoe the Jeep

Out of everyone on this list, Crystal Reed returning as Allison Argent is, obviously, the most surprising. It will be fascinating to see how she interacts with some of the older characters (Scott, Lydia, Jackson, Chris, etc.), as well as some of the newer ones (Malia, Liam, Mason, etc.).

Colton Haynes’ return as Jackson and Ryan Kelley’s return as Deputy Parrish are both interesting, as well. Though they were both in the final season of the show, their stories feel less explored than some of the others, and I can’t wait to see how they’re incorporated into the plot and which of their relationships have remained intact.

On the podcast, we also spoke of Tyler Hoechlin’s return as Derek Hale. In the later seasons, Derek took on the more passive role of mentor for Scott and the others, though he was always an important presence for the pack.

It’s important to note that Hoechlin is a producer on the film, which could indicate he has a major role in the movie—though this isn’t guaranteed. More on that later.

Last, but certainly never least, we have Stiles’ old Jeep, Roscoe, which was seen on set. It’s probably held together by duct tape and magic, but I’m happy to see it, regardless. Maybe Scott gifted it to one of the younger pack members?

The Teen Wolf movie’s new cast members include Vince Mattis as Eli Hale, Derek’s 15-year-old son. If the film takes place in 2026, that could give us some idea as to when and where Derek fathered Eli. Could it have been while he was in Costa Rica?

Regardless, we know Eli wears Scott McCall’s #11 jersey and is playing lacrosse for Beacon Hills. That pretty much guarantees Derek is aware of his son’s existence and has brought him home to BH, perhaps even to live with the pack (depending on who stayed behind and who moved away for school or work).

The bigger question is…who’s Eli’s mother??

We have another new cast member in Amy Lin Workman, who will be portraying Hikari Zhang. There’s no indication as to whether she’s human or something more, though her wardrobe shows she’ll fit right in. Could she be another were-creature, or could she be one of Monroe’s hunters, sent to infiltrate the McCall pack?

Next up, we have Nobi Nakanishi, who had previously portrayed the Nogitsune-possessed Yakuza boss (as well as his descendent) in Teen Wolf season 3, episode 7, “Silverfinger,” and season 3, episode 19, “Letharia Vulpina.” In Teen Wolf: The Movie, he will be playing a new character named Deputy Ishida.

Lastly, we have L.B. Fisher playing Coach Hogan. At the moment, we don’t know if this could be Coach Finstock’s assistant at Beacon Hills, or the rival coach they’re playing against during the game.

While we’re quite lucky that so many cast members have agreed to return for the film, it’s not all good news. Though he wanted to, Cody Christian was not able to make a comeback as Theo due to filming All-American.

Likewise, Arden Cho will not be returning as Kira Yukimura, due to issues with her contract, and Dylan O’Brien will not return as Stiles Stilinkski, stating, “Ultimately, I just decided it was left in a really good place for me and I still want to leave it there.”

Out of everyone who won’t be returning, Stiles’ absence will have the largest effect, though Natalie and I discussed several reasons why he might not be present and how they could effectively pull this off without it feeling like he’s gone for good. Whether they choose to keep Stiles just off camera (if, for example, he and Lydia are living together) or say that he’s working (considering he’s probably a full-blown FBI agent by now), it will depend on what’s best for the story. We’ll miss him, but I suspect there will plenty to hold our attention!

Much like the cast, there are several crew members returning in addition to those mentioned earlier, including a few of our favorites: Erik Porn for FX makeup, Barbara Vasquez for costume design, and Dino Meneghin as the composer. This will certainly lend consistency to the production, and indicates just how much everyone still loves Teen Wolf to be returning all these years later.

Updates from San Diego Comic-Con 2022

Natalie and I attended the panel for Teen Wolf on Thursday, July 21, 2022 in Hall H. Jeff Davis, Tyler Hoechlin, and Tyler Posey were in attendance to talk about the Teen Wolf movie. You can see our live tweets from the panel in the thread below:

We also got to take a look at the Teen Wolf movie teaser trailer!

Most of the trailer is made up of quick flashes of moments from the movie, with the nogitsune’s narration over the top: “You want retribution against him. His friends. Everyone he loves. Set me free, and we’ll play a new game. A game of chaos. Strife. And pain.”

It’s clear the nogitsune is tempting an enemy of Scott’s into releasing him, though we have no indication who this person might be. In fact, most of the teaser trailer serves more as a check-in on a lot of characters than a breakdown of the movie’s plot.

We see Scott and Eli running through the woods, as well as Scott and Malia running through the school, with the former skidding to a stop as though there is someone hurt on the ground. I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost a character or two during the run of the movie, but whether it’ll be a main character or not has yet to be determined.

The Oni feature quite heavily in the trailer, standing ominously in the misty woods amongst a ruined temple. We also see Lydia and Jackson in a patch of burned forest, though we’re not sure if these two moments take place in the same location.

We also get a couple shots of Mason, who is now a deputy, as well as Sheriff Stilinski, who seems to still be in an active role on the force. Several of our favorite characters, including Derek, look injured throughout the trailer and appear to be in mortal danger at every turn. We also get a glimpse of two of the new characters, Eli and Hikari, both of which also seem to be in big trouble.

You’ll notice the stadium also plays a part in this teaser trailer, which means something big is likely to happen at one of the lacrosse games. A dark figure is possibly spreading mountain ash across the ground, and Lydia shows off her powers by screaming louder than she ever has before. A quick shot of Peter lighting a cigar and Scott holding up a crumbling wall with a little girl on his back rounds out the most important moments of this video.

Oh, well, and then there’s the end. The only other dialog in the Teen Wolf teaser trailer comes from Scott, said to Chris Argent: “Hey! Allison? She’s alive. She’s back.” And then we get an already iconic shot of Allison walking away from a burning car, a quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

‘Teen Wolf’ movie trailer and clips

Thankfully, the full-length Teen Wolf trailer offers a lot more information about the plot of the show.

Here, we get some context as to the shot of Scott with the little girl on his back. It looks like a building has collapsed with people inside. Dr. Deaton (last seen in Teen Wolf season 6, episode 15) brings Scott in to help, referring to him as the Alpha, and saying he has a special talent for these kinds of things.

Meanwhile, Lydia’s powers kick into high gear, and she’s pretty sure Allison is back. We get some flashbacks from the show, as early as the pilot episode, and Chris and Scott talking about seeing visions of her. The answers, Chris says, are in Beacon Hills. But Scott hasn’t been back in a long time.

It’s clear throughout the trailer that Allison doesn’t remember who Scott is, and they even wonder if that’s really Allison come back to life. Deaton warns that the nogitsune has returned to play a new game, and considering all the turmoil the last time he was around, consider me terrified.

Oh, and one more thing? Malia is totally making out with Deputy Parrish.

At New York Comic Con, which took place in October 2022, much of the cast came on stage to talk about the film, and they even released a scene from the movie, which you can watch right here:

It shows Derek carrying Eli through the locker room because he was just injured in a lacrosse game. It seems as though Eli is unable—or maybe unwilling—to heal, but before they can talk about it further, Allison attacks. Derek runs away once he realizes who it is, but that doesn’t stop her from clipping him in the neck with one of her arrows.

A lot more was said in various interviews over the course of the last year, but I’d recommend tuning into Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast episode #155 to hear us discuss everything in detail. A couple of highlights include the fact that Lydia may not be happy Allison is back, that the cast has been instructed not to even say whether Allison is dead or alive, and that Holland and Colton’s off-screen friendship inspired Lydia and Jackson’s on-screen comeraderie.

And if you’re still looking for more to watch after all of that, check out the first episode to the behind-the-scenes documentary, Behind Beacon Hills.

What’s the future of the Teen Wolf fandom?

Teen Wolf News reports that MTV Entertainment has optioned two Teen Wolf movie sequels if this film attracts enough new subscribers to the Paramount+ streaming service.

In all honesty, this is somewhat concerning, as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify adding more streaming services when there are already so many. Paramount+ has some excellent original content as well as some major movies on its platform, but it’s not quite the powerhouse that is Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+.

However, Teen Wolf still holds weight with a lot of people (the fandom was seemingly resurrected over night once the movie was announced), and with Paramount now being the home to not only Teen Wolf but two of Jeff Davis’ upcoming series (Wolf Pack and Aeon Flux), you better believe new subscribers will sign up every day.

And what about Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast? We will most certainly be covering the Teen Wolf movie over the course of several episodes, as well as doing weekly recaps of Wolf Pack, which is not a Teen Wolf spinoff, despite also featuring teenage werewolves. Can you blame us? I mean, we’ve already got a podcast for that.

Are you excited for ‘Teen Wolf: The Movie’?

Editor’s note: This article was initially written on July 18, 2022 and was subsequently updated as new information came to light.