After the release of “Twilight” (2008) dominated big screens all over the world and swept teen girls off their feet, stories about fantasy characters became more prominent in Hollywood and soon made their way to the small screen. Following in their footsteps in the summer of 2011, MTV hopped on the bandwagon with the premiere of its original series “Teen Wolf,” attracting a large pack of loyal supporters.
The show was adapted from the 1985 comedy-fantasy film of the same name that starred actor Michael J. Fox as the teenage shapeshifter. The MTV version tells a similar story as it follows the life of Scott McCall, played by Tyler Posey. McCall is a high school-aged boy who was unexpectedly bitten by a werewolf one night while casually strolling through the woods after dark. After being bitten, Scott’s whole life is completely flipped upside down and inside out, and he must now learn to live with his new wolf abilities and battle the other supernatural creatures that keep washing up in Beacon Hills.
On top of all the insanely unbelievable inhumane (literally) drama in his young life, Scott is still a 16-year-old boy, who must also worry about simpler things in life like dating, part-time jobs, friendships and his spot on the high school lacrosse team.
During its run from 2011 to 2017, it was apparent that the show was substantially different from the other supernatural shows ruling the small screen in the 2010s like “The Vampire Diaries,” “Stranger Things” and “The Originals.” It managed to set itself apart by balancing the dark and sometimes frightening nature of the supernatural while also incorporating the quirky and comedic elements of a youthful coming-of-age story.
While Posey did most of the work when it came to acting out the supernatural elements, the comedic attributes majorly fell on the shoulders of actor Dylan O’Brien, who played Scott’s best friend, Stiles Stilinski.
Stiles, although a human character, was a major part of the show and unarguably a fan favorite to those who viewed the wolf-packed fun every week. This was proven true during the show’s third season, which revolved around him. During this season, “Teen Wolf” reached peak viewership, accumulating around 3.3 million viewers, which was more than the MTV show had ever garnered during its past seasons.
O’Brien is best known for his character in “Teen Wolf,” which managed to open other doors for him as an actor; a notable example of this is his starring role in the “Maze Runner” trilogy adaptation. “Maze Runner” and its sequel, “The Scorch Trials,” also pulled in massive success, and soon it was time to film the third iteration of the franchise, called “The Death Cure.” Early in filming for “The Death Cure,” however, O’Brien suffered injuries from a major on-set accident. This halted production for almost a year and resulted in the visible absence of his character in the sixth and final season of “Teen Wolf.”
Following its sad farewell back in September 2017, “Teen Wolf” fans were absolutely heartbroken by MTV’s decision to not renew the show for a seventh season. Although, now, fans can finally dry their tears — because the wolf pack is back and this time it’s on the big screen.
It was announced back in January that “Teen Wolf” would be returning, this time on the streaming platform Paramount+, to do a movie reunion special.
It’s been confirmed that the series producer and 12 of the series regulars are set to return to Beacon Hills; however, some of the key cast members are missing from the lineup and fans aren’t too happy about it at all.
The returning cast members include Tyler Posey, Holland Roden, Colton Haynes, Shelley Hennig and Crystal Reed, whose character Allison died in the third season. Sadly, key cast members Dylan O’Brien, Arden Cho and Tyler Hoechlin are missing from the movie’s cast list.
One fan took to Twitter to say “I’ve been the biggest fan of Teen Wolf since the beginning and I’m excited about the movie, but something just doesn’t feel right. This show is about the friendship between Scott and Stiles, and without it, it doesn’t make sense.”
Another fan wrote “Absolutely no hate to the cast or anyone, just speaking my honest thoughts as a fan of teen wolf. This movie, without Stiles, is like Shrek without Donkey. SpongeBob without Patrick. Spiderman without MJ. TVD without Klaus. The movie is still good, but could be better.”
Despite the sadness surrounding the absence of some of the series’s most beloved characters, the hype for the return of “Teen Wolf” after five years does have fans excited. An eager fan wrote, “No matter how old I am, Teen Wolf will always be a comfort series. I can’t wait for the movie.” Another eager die-hard fan wrote, “Words cannot describe my excitement for teen wolf the movie lol.”
Fan feelings seem to be mixed regarding the absence of notable original cast members. Some are upset while others are still very excited for the future of the franchise. With the movie set to hit streaming platforms later this year, we are eager to see what the beloved returning characters will embark on and what’s next for the franchise.
