Missed It on Release? Werewolves Within Is a Shockingly Great Video-Game Movie — Stream It on Hulu
Ubisoft’s Werewolves Within is a film adaptation that moves the game’s basic whodunit idea into a modern small town, and it is currently available to stream on Hulu.
Movie overview
The film is a contemporary whodunit based on the social-parlor game often known as Werewolf or Mafia. Werewolves Within is set in the small town of Beaverfield, where residents are trying to find who among them might be a killer — or a werewolf. The town is divided over a proposed natural-gas pipeline, and that dispute is part of the story.
The protagonist is Finn Wheeler, played by Sam Richardson, who works as a forest ranger recently assigned to Beaverfield. The movie runs about 95 minutes and follows an ensemble of townspeople as the mystery unfolds.
Cast and crew
Josh Ruben directed the film, and Mishna Wolff wrote the screenplay. Ruben previously directed the film Scare Me and the rom-com Heart Eyes.
The cast includes Sam Richardson as Finn Wheeler, plus Michael Chernus, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, and Milana Vayntrub. These actors fill out an ensemble of distinct town residents who serve as suspects, witnesses, and victims in the story.
Adaptation choices and wardrobe
The movie takes the game’s core mechanic — identifying hidden enemies within a group — but changes the setting from a medieval village to a contemporary small town. That choice also led the filmmakers to create original townspeople and relationships rather than replicate game characters directly.
Director Josh Ruben emphasized clear visual identifiers for characters. He said, “I wanted the wardrobes to look like they might get turned into action figures,”
Ruben told Vanity Fair. Costumes include a ranger uniform, a postal outfit, and a mountain-man fur coat, among others.
Ruben also said he asked Ubisoft whether the film should include Easter eggs tied to the game. According to his Vanity Fair interview, Ubisoft was not prescriptive and focused on the film’s quality rather than on detailed fan-service requirements.
Production and release
The film was shot in early 2020. It was distributed for streaming and, as noted in publicity materials, is available on Hulu.
Industry context
Separately, an insider report about a different game-based project said Activision didn’t want a Spielberg-directed version of Call of Duty because of concerns over final cut. That report is part of ongoing public discussion about how game companies and filmmakers collaborate on adaptations.
Werewolves Within is streaming now on Hulu.
