Teen Wolf
Short description
Teen Wolf centres on Scott Howard, a high-school student who is unremarkable on the basketball court and unnoticed by the girl he likes. That changes when his body begins transforming, revealing that he comes from a long line of werewolves. Rather than frightening him off, the change gives him an advantage in sports and draws attention from classmates, leaving him to weigh his new popularity against the people who knew him before.
Rod Daniel directed the film, his first feature, from a screenplay by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox plays Scott, with James Hampton as his father Harold, Susan Ursitti as his friend Boof, Jerry Levine as Stiles, Matt Adler as Lewis and Lorie Griffin as Pamela. Produced by Mark Levinson and Scott M. Rosenfelt, it was made for about 1 million USD and returned roughly 80 million USD worldwide, a large multiple of its cost.
The film holds a 6.1/10 on IMDb from over 58,000 votes and a 6.2/10 on TMDB from around 1,300 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 5.4/10 from 35 reviews, so audiences have rated it slightly higher than reviewers did. Daniel went on to direct Stranded, Like Father Like Son, K-9 and several further features.
What's left behind the scenes
- Lisa Marconi, played by Susan Ursitti, was based on a school friend of one of the screenwriters (Jeff Loeb and Matthew Wiseman) and was given her own name.
- When Susan Ursitti's character was scripted to slap Michael J. Fox's character, she hit him with all her might, and director Rod Daniel had to explain to her that slaps on camera should be delivered gently.
- Michael J. Fox (who played Scotty) disliked the film so much that he flatly refused to participate in a sequel. In an interview while working on Robert Zemeckis's sci-fi film Back to the Future (1985), he complained that he was forced to play wolf pups "while Steven Spielberg is filming masterpieces."
- Director Rod Daniel provided the growls for all the scenes and all the characters, chuckling at the fact that he "didn't receive a cent in royalties for it."
- Neither Michael J. Fox nor Jeff Glosser could eat solid food while in makeup. They were served only milkshakes and soups.
- Susan Ursitti once appeared in Robert J. Rosenthal's sci-fi comedy ' idea' (1982). Screenwriters Jeff Loeb and Matthew Weisman decided to invite her to the cast of 'Teen Wolf' after seeing her work with Rosenthal.
- While interviewing various directors to find someone to take on the 'Teen Wolf' project, Jeff Loeb and Matthew Weisman introduced candidates to the screenplay and asked them what the movie was about. Most answered that it was about werewolves, but only Rod Daniel replied that the film was about a father and son. As a result, he was hired as the director.
- After working on this project, Mark Arnold (who played Mick) remained a cast member of the soap opera 'Santa Barbara' (1984-1993) for a while, but he asked the writers to 'kill off' his character so that he would have enough time to promote Daniel's film.
- Jerry Levine himself, in the role of Stiles, rode on the roof of the van rather than a stunt double. He was secured by a cable passed through the roof of the van and his trousers, tied around his waist.
- All movements during the basketball game were planned and rehearsed in advance. Michael J. Fox asked if they could simply play without a script. Rod Daniel allowed them to try it for a short while, but it was ultimately decided that all movements and tricks should be choreographed beforehand.
- The dance was choreographed by Janet Rostone, who later worked with the Los Angeles Rock Opera Co (a company that produces classic rock operas and promotes the development of the genre). In some scenes, a stunt double danced instead of Michael J. Fox. According to director Rod Daniel, Fox's dancing was nonexistent.
- It was initially intended that the main character would start the final basketball game in werewolf form, but Rod Daniel decided it would be better for him to play in human form.
- Transforming the actor into a werewolf took about four hours, while James Hampton (who played the main character's father) could remove all the prosthetics and makeup in half a minute.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
