James Van Der Beek Shocks as a Sinister Pastor in“ The Gates” Trailer, One of His Final Roles Before His Death
James Van Der Beek Shocks as a Sinister Pastor in“ The Gates” Trailer, One of His Final Roles Before His Death
Tommy McArdleWed, February 18, 2026 at 4:20 PM UTC
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James Van Der Beek stars as a killer pastor in The Gates, one of his final movie roles after his death at age 48
Mason Gooding, Algee Smith and Keith Powers also star in the new thriller
The Gates is in theaters March 13
James Van Der Beek shocks as a villain in one of his final screen roles, set to release after his recent death at age 48.
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, Lionsgate released a trailer for The Gates, which stars Mason Gooding, Algee Smith and Keith Powers as college students who happen upon a murder committed by Van Der Beek's pastor character when they unknowingly drive into a hostile, gated neighborhood during a night out.
Derek, Kevin and Tyon (Gooding, Smith and Powers) are on a "road trip gone wrong, as the three young men take an ill-advised shortcut through a remote gated community, where they find themselves trapped behind the walls after witnessing a murder," reads a synopsis.
"Over the course of the night, they find themselves blamed, hunted and fractured by their own differing belief systems, while the perpetrator (Van Der Beek) emerges as the cunning patriarch that holds the entire community under his influence."
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The Gates trailer
Lionsgate
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The trailer's release comes one week after Van Der Beek's wife Kimberly announced news of his death on Feb. 11. The Dawson's Creek star had originally announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2024. James and Kimberly, 43, shared six kids.
"He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time," Kimberly wrote in her Feb. 11 announcement. "Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
James Van Der Beek in The Gates
Lionsgate
James continued acting in recent years through his journey with cancer. Aside from The Gates, he also recently starred in three Tubi original movies titled Sidelined: The QB and Me, Sidelined: Rewind with Noah and Siena and Sidelined 2: Intercepted, on top of TV appearances in Walker and Overcompensating. He'll also appear in the Legally Blonde series Elle.
The Gates is in theaters March 13.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
