The movie Teen Wolf: The Movie delivered a blow to fans of the couple "Stydia" with the revelation that Lydia (Holland Roden) and Stiles (Dylan O'Brien, who did not return) had broken up off-screen. The reason for their separation was gradually revealed throughout the film, with clues shared by Jackson (Colton Haynes) and ultimately coming to light as Lydia and Harris (Adam Fristoe) squared off. Harris, the puppet master of the nogitsune, revealed that Lydia's heartbreak was a delicacy to the nogitsune and forced her to explain why she left Stiles.
Lydia had a recurring dream about a car crash in which Stiles was not moving or breathing. As the dream persisted, she couldn't tell if it was just a dream or a premonition. She believed that if she never got in the car with him, the crash would not happen and he would not have to die. Additionally, she wouldn't have to use her banshee powers to scream or wail.
The reason for the break-up of Stiles and Lydia in the film was both due to Dylan O'Brien not returning and the story the creators wanted to tell with Lydia as a banshee. Jeff Davis, the creator, explains that while it could have been just excused as Stiles being away during the movie, they wanted to delve deeper and create an emotional story where Lydia broke up with Stiles to save him from her premonition. She couldn't shake the dream of a crash where Stiles wasn't moving or breathing. This felt like a heroic sacrifice to the creators.
What was the plan if O'Brien had returned to the film?
We had ideas written down, but they were not fully developed. There were moments where he considered making a cameo or shooting for a few days, but ultimately I realized that we needed to have him fully committed to the film. And I believe he made the right decision for himself, as he had played the character for six seasons and needed to do what was creatively fulfilling for him. I told him that the worst thing that could happen would be for the audience to see him on screen and feel that he wasn't fully invested, so it was important for him to truly want to be there if he was going to return to the character. In the end, he decided to leave the character where it was.
"Would you have made the same decision regarding the breakup of Stiles and Lydia if Dylan had returned for the film? The breakup was a crucial part of Lydia's story."
"When making business decisions, it's important to consider how it will impact the creative aspect of the story. In this case, the decision to break up Stiles and Lydia ended up working well for the story. The speech Lydia gives is powerful and emotional, making for a strong story.
"I cannot say for certain if the same decision would have been made if Dylan had returned, but it's likely the same outcome would have occurred."