'Teen Wolf: The Movie' returning stars Tyler Posey and Crystal Reed let it rip... literally
The time has come for Scott McCall to rise again. The television series Teen Wolf, based on the classic Michael J. Fox movie, first howled in 2011 before coming to an end in 2017. You can't keep a werewolf down, though. Creator Jeff Davis gave a crazy new life to the concept for six seasons, and now he’s doing it again by continuing the story as a movie. What once was a movie became a television series, and now it will be a movie once again.
In the show — and in the upcoming movie, which hits Paramount+ on Jan. 26 — Tyler Posey plays the titular teen, an ordinary high school student who gets bitten by a werewolf in the town of Beacon Hills. As Scott McCall, Posey navigated high school life and the life of a supernatural being. One of McCall’s most important relationships was with Allison Argent, played by Crystal Reed. Allison didn’t survive to the end of the series, but things may not be as permanent as fans once thought.
Posey and Reed have both featured in multiple other projects in the intervening years. Posey appeared in Jane the Virgin and Undone (among other shows), while Reed starred in Swamp Thing and memorably played the formidable Sofia Falcone on Gotham. Both Reed and Posey are returning to Beacon Hills, so SYFY WIRE caught up with them as part of a digital junket.
Was it like a homecoming? What lessons did the two of them bring back? Exactly how comfortable are they with each other? Keep reading for all of those answers and more.
TEEN WOLF: THE MOVIE (2023) Poster Photo: Paramount+
When last I checked, Allison was dead.
Crystal Reed: Yes, you're right.
I don't want to spoil the how and why of her return, but should fans of the character and of you, Crystal, be excited?
Reed: I think they're initially going to be a little terrified, but they'll just have to watch till the end.
Should fans of the Scott/Allison pairing be excited?
Tyler Posey: Who knows? I think the fact that they're together in a room alone is enough to get the fans to be like, "Woo, holy s*** that's awesome." But it's tough to say right now whether or not they're going to be able to pick up where they left off before… be in love again. It's a tough one.
What was left unfinished in the series that you really looked forward to continuing in this movie?
Reed: I think their relationship, for me, always had a big question mark because it was never finished. I always wanted to see more and I wanted to understand what they would be like as adults, so we will see how that plays out.
Posey: I really wanted to see Scott as an adult. He's been this little tormented teenager trying to save the world, and sort of filling shoes bigger than himself. Now he actually can fill those shoes and it's nice to see him settled into being an adult, and a little bit more comfortable with where he's at. It looks good on Scott. And he's got a buzzed head now.
I imagine that there was no real talk of renaming it 'Old Wolf.'
Posey: No, unfortunately not.
Were there lessons you learned from other projects that you were able to put into practice playing these returning characters?
Reed: There's been so much life that I've lived in between Allison dying and Allison being resurrected that I have definitely inserted into this performance. I think, namely, just the fact that she's really lost, confused, angry, and feeling like she doesn't know who she is. I certainly went through that period in my life, and oftentimes now I still don't know who I am, but having gone through those experiences and knowing what that feels like in my body made it easy for me to bring that to Allison. Hopefully, it feels natural and real.
Posey: Likewise. I always try to get better and better after every project I do. I sort of watch what I did and pick out the moments of "Oh, I could try that better next time" or "I could do this a little differently next time." And then with life experiences, I've gone through a lot more than I have since the last time ever the world saw me on Teen Wolf. I just used all of those things to curate this little version of Scott, which I'm really proud of. I think it's Scott in a new light, and I think he's more Scott than he ever has been.
Obviously, you're not a teen anymore, and it sounds like the character's growth has mirrored your own.
Posey: Sure. Yeah, 100 percent. I think most adults grow up in a similar sense, where you sort of just become a little bit more relaxed… comfortable with who you are. Being a teenager and a young 20-year-old is a confusing time. Life is still confusing no matter what, but you're just a little bit more confident, I guess, and just comfortable with who you are, hopefully.
When they came to both of you and said that they wanted this to be a movie and that they wanted you both to return, was that an easy yes?
Posey: Yep, absolutely.
Reed: Me too.
Posey: Had no hesitation. I think I cut Jeff [Davis] off before he asked me. I think he said, "Do you want to?" and I just said, "Absolutely." I want Teen Wolf to keep going and I hope that they want us too.
Tyler Posey as Scott McCall as Crystal Reed as Allison Argent in TEEN WOLF: THE MOVIE streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Curtis Bonds Baker/MTV Entertainment
So many members of the original cast are back. Was there a feeling with all of coming home?
Posey: Huge.
Reed: Yeah. It definitely felt like a family reunion, which I think added to a lot of the comfortability and safety in our performances where we were so open with each other. We could explore so much more.
Posey: Yeah. It's just easy doing art with the people you love. Every single day, laughing on set. Teen Wolf is so dramatic and chaotic and weird, that the fact that we can goof around on set and have a lot of fun and tell poop jokes and fart on camera, we always try to add a little bit of that levity except for when I'm around Crystal. I do not fart in front of Crystal.
Reed: He does.
Posey: I probably have before.
Reed: You farted on me.
Posey: Did I?
Reed: Yes.
Posey: It was an accident, I swear. I've bled on Crystal before. We have such a history.
You've farted and bled on Sofia Falcone…
Reed: You did.
That is risky.
Reed: I really appreciate that. Thank you for that.
Posey: She's going to kill me.
Do you both watch the show, the dailies, or whatever else — or is the kind of thing where all you would just see mistakes and you just want to let the memory of what it was like on the day live on?
Posey: Good question.
Reed: It's very difficult for me to watch my work objectively. I've seen the film and I still think everyone else was great I just really feel like I could have done a much better job in so many aspects. So it's hard. It's very hard for me.
Posey: You killed it, Crystal. For me, I love the show. I tend to watch it whenever it's on. Sometimes I'll just go back and just watch the entirety of it and I'm really proud of it. I was learning how to act and there are plenty of moments where I'm like, "Oh, I could have done that better." But at the same time, I'm still super proud of who I am and who I was… this little kid figuring life out, and it's really fun to watch. I'm not too hard on myself for that.
Teen Wolf: The Movie will premiere on Paramount+ on Jan. 26. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Looking for a different sort of teenage monster drama? Stream The Vampire Diaries on Peacock.
