Spoilers! Unpacking James Van Der Beek’s shocking last film role

Spoiler alert! We’re discussing all the twists and turns of “The Gates” (in theaters now), including the ending, so turn away if you haven’t seen the film and don’t want to know what happens.

James Van Der Beek‘s final movie role is about as far from Dawson Leery as it gets.

The new thriller “The Gates” features the last film performance by the late “Dawson’s Creek” actor, who died Feb. 11 after a colorectal cancer battle. The star plays against type in the movie by taking on the role of the primary antagonist, a creepy, murderous pastor.

The story centers on three friends, Derek (Mason Gooding), Kevin (Algee Smith) and Tyon (Keith Powers), who take a shortcut on their way to a party and wind up locked inside a gated community, where they witness a violent crime. While looking for someone to open the gates back up so they can leave, they walk up to a house and see a man, Jacob (Van Der Beek), seemingly kill a woman, Elizabeth (Elle Evans), during an argument by shoving her into a fireplace.

The boys soon learn they have found themselves inside a religious community that was built by Jacob, an influential and well-liked pastor. While trying to find their way out, they come across a resident named Christopher (Brad Leland) and explain what they witnessed. But as someone who thinks highly of Jacob as a “good, Christian man,” Christopher immediately dismisses their claims and rats them out.

Van Der Beek portrays Jacob not as an obvious psychopath, but as a manipulative, seemingly friendly man who can talk his way out of any situation and gaslight others into believing what he says. The people of the community want to think he can do no wrong because they’re so invested in the idea that he is a flawless savior who has created a kind of Christian utopia.

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So it’s appropriate that the film casts Van Der Beek, who viewers go into the movie with similarly warm feelings toward and an inclination to trust due to his own wholesome image.

“He was perfect for the role – an actor whose reputation as a charming, trustworthy good guy would allow me to cast him against type to create a compelling meta commentary on why the people in this community would trust him despite his deep-seated flaws,” director John Burr told the Daily Dead.

The community also happens to be located in Texas, where Van Der Beek lived in the last years of his life.

Throughout the film, Jacob takes the position that his twisted actions are justified because he is a man of faith on a righteous mission from God, and the movie is ultimately critical of those who use religion as a shield when perpetrating horrifying abuses.

See James Van Der Beek’s sinister role in posthumous film ‘The Gates’

Kevin and Tyon eventually make their way out of the gates but are chased down by a cop, Bobby (Kylr Coffman), who essentially works for Jacob. He searches their car and finds Elizabeth’s body, which Jacob put there to frame them. But Jacob’s plan starts to unravel when it turns out Elizabeth is still alive, so Jacob shoots Bobby dead. Jacob also shoots and kills Christopher, who returns to save the day after having second thoughts about Jacob’s innocence.

In the ensuing chaos, the three boys escape and drive away, dropping Elizabeth off at the hospital and returning to Derek’s home. But just when we think the film is wrapping up, surprise! Jacob is there at the house, waiting with a gun. Police arrive just in time, and Jacob’s skills at talking his way out of trouble finally fall short. The officers aren’t buying his story, and when he pulls out a gun, they fatally shoot him.

The film ends with a poignant tribute to Van Der Beek coming up on screen just before the credits: “In loving memory of James.”

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Burr said in an interview with “Pop Culture Unplugged w/ Elias” that no one working on “The Gates” was aware of Van Der Beek’s illness while making the movie. The actor first disclosed his battle with cancer in November 2024 after receiving the diagnosis the year before.

“We sort of found out about it with the rest of the world,” Burr told “Pop Culture Unplugged.” “I did have a private conversation with him after that, just once, and it was encouraging. We all hoped, right? But after that, we didn’t really talk about health anymore. We were texting throughout post-production. He was game. He was active. He was committed. He was excited. So it was shocking and, obviously, tragic.”

“The Gates” isn’t Van Der Beek’s first time going dark for a role: He memorably played a serial killer on “Criminal Minds” in 2007. But the fact that he strayed so far from his Dawson image for his last movie speaks to his versatility and desire to challenge himself.

While “The Gates” is the final film of Van Der Beek’s career, fans still have one more performance from him to look forward to. The actor will appear posthumously in the “Legally Blonde” prequel series “Elle,” which debuts on Prime Video on July 1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘The Gates’ spoilers – James Van Der Beek’s dark final movie role