Tyler Posey is returning to the world of “Teen Wolf.”
The original series ran on MTV for six seasons from 2011 to 2017 (loosely based on the 1985 movie), and now the story continues in “Teen Wolf: The Movie,” premiering Jan 26 on Paramount+.
“I always just knew this show was going to be a success. I just felt it in my bones,” Posey, 31, told The Post. “And I knew there was going to be more after it ended. Whether it would be a movie or a continuation of the show, I didn’t know. So, I’m not surprised by any of this. It’s something that I’ve been wanting for years. I was immediately stoked and down for the ride.”
Set in the fictional town of Beacon Hills, Calif., “Teen Wolf” followed Scott McCall (Posey), a high school student who got bitten by a werewolf and rose up to protect his town, which was a hotbed of supernatural shenanigans. Along the way, he was aided by fellow werewolf Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin, who’s also returning for the movie) and his best friend Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien, who isn’t returning).
“I’ve never second-guessed wanting to do it,” said Posey, who generated controversy when he joined OnlyFans and came out as sexually fluid in 2020. ” I didn’t even think about what my schedule had in front of me. I was like, ‘I’m clearing my entire schedule, and we’re doing this movie.’ ”
In addition to Posey and Hoechlin, original “Teen Wolf” cast members returning for the movie include Holland Roden as Lydia Martin, Shelley Hennig as Malia Tate, Crystal Reed as Allison Argent (even though, yes, she did die in Season 3), J.R. Bourne as Chris Argent and Colton Haynes as Jackson Whittemore.
“Every day was like this big reunion. In between ‘action’ and ‘cut’ we were hanging out and laughing and reminiscing and crying,” said Posey. “It’s always nice to see Crystal. We hadn’t acted together for over five years. And J.R. Bourne is one of my best friends. We maintain our close relationship outside of ‘Teen Wolf’ — we goof around, ride motorcycles with each other, go shopping. But to get to do [the show] again with him, and see him grow as a person too … we had the greatest time.”
For those who didn’t return, Posey said the movie works around their absence.
“Dylan [O’Brien] wasn’t a part of the last season of ‘Teen Wolf,’ so we were familiar with how to do the show without him. But also, he’s as big a part of the show as anybody else, and always will be,” he said. “We talk about him in the movie [and] we see his Jeep. He’s not absent in our hearts. He’s still very much present.”
In the movie, Beacon Hills faces a new threat. Scott isn’t a teenager anymore, but he’s an alpha, and he gathers a mix of new friends and old allies to band together and face this new enemy.
“I was a little nervous to know if I still knew how to play Scott,” said Posey. “I knew in my mind where he’d been, who he is now, but I was wondering if I could play it. But it was really like riding a bike. It all came back to me. I’m super-proud of the work I did and I feel like he’s more Scott than he ever was before. Maybe that’s the secret — to take five years away from something and then come back to it.”
Posey said that he’s changed a lot since the show ended in 2017, but that he brought that to the role.
“I’m proud of who I am today. I’m taking care of myself physically, mentally, I meditate multiple times a day. I try to find the peace and joy in everything,” he said. “I’m sober, I’m present in every moment. I was excited to play Scott McCall with this new mentality of where I’m at right now. I’m still the same goofy kid that I always was, just with a little bit of extra oomph.
“It’s exciting to be able to bring this to Scott.”