In just a few weeks, Mason Gooding will return to the bloody and chaotic world of Scream when he reprises his role as Chad Meeks-Martin. Whether he survives Scream 7 or not is anyone’s guess, but what we can tell you is that he’ll have his life back on the line just next month with the arrival of John Burr’s (Muse) The Gates. Thrown into yet another fight for survival, the blossoming Scream King will be joined by a cast that also includes Keith Powers (The New Edition Story), Algee Smith (Euphoria), and the late James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek) in an all-out terror fest. Today, Collider is thrilled to exclusively unveil the very first trailer and teaser art for the project, which will scare up a release in select cinemas on March 13.
The opening seconds of The Gates trailer jump ahead in the story as we see three friends — Kevin (Smith), Derek (Gooding), and Tyon (Powers) — uncomfortably seated in a living room. We then cut back in time and see the trio driving through the night on their way to meet some girls. When a traffic jam threatens to cut their evening short, they hop off at the next exit and take a country road to get to their party faster. On the way, they’re once again cut off, this time by a giant gated community. Luckily, a good Samaritan gives them access, but once they’re inside, things take a dangerous turn after they witness a murder. Upon reporting the crime, they learn that the killer is the community’s minister (Van Der Beek), and they now find themselves in life-threatening danger with the entire gated community after them to keep their secrets cut off from the rest of the world.
Burr also shared a statement with Collider alongside the release, in the wake of Van Der Beek’s passing.
“Before all else, I want to send sympathy and love to James’ family; his wife Kimberly, and his children Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, Joshua and Jeremiah. Thank you for granting us the precious time with him that we had.
James was a legend. I first met him at a cafe just outside Austin to chat about the script for a film we wanted to work on together. His charisma and energy were evident immediately. He was a man of great conviction, and it was clear that he approached life with a unique sense of passion and dedication that he applied to everything from his work, to his family, to the life he’d built in rural Texas after the early success of his career.
We were incredibly fortunate to have worked with him on this film. He brought experience and perspective to the role, and he built profound relationships with his fellow cast members and with the crew. And while he was deeply dedicated to his performance as the flawed, amoral antagonist of our story, between scenes he effortlessly morphed back into the grounded, charming conversationalist he was at his core. He never missed an opportunity to speak glowingly of his wife, brag about his kids, laugh about the lighter moments in his career, or to ask others what was going on in their lives. His energy was contagious. None of us knew that he was already deep into his battle, and we were all shocked to learn with the rest of the world about his diagnosis.
Over the last few months, my conversations with James were limited to periodic text messages. His words were filled with energy and punctuated with exclamation points even as his health must have been in decline. Despite knowing his diagnosis, the news of his passing was shocking. In the minutes and hours after it broke, countless members of the production team have reached out, expressing grief and sharing memories, bonding in our shared love and sadness. And thus, even though he is no longer with us, his energy somehow feels like it lives on, bringing us all back together again, inspiring us to live life the way he did. I am grateful for that. And so, on behalf of the entire filmmaking team, I’d like to express our heartbreak at James’ passing, and our joy to have been so lucky to know him.”
Movies to Hold You Over Until ‘The Gates’ Release
Along with being a pulse-pounding trip of terror, The Gates also holds a mirror up to the injustices in our world as it tackles race and plays with belief systems and power dynamics. The movie is the latest in the subgenre that already includes classics like Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, and Bernard Rose’s Candyman.
In addition to the quartet leading the film, Burr’s latest foray into horror also features performances from Jack Snyder (The Wife Who Knew Too Much), Brad Leland (Friday Night Lights), Sofia Hublitz (Ozark), Shelby Simmons (A Big Bold Beautiful Journey), Kylr Coffman (New Year’s Rev), Natacha Ellie (Hello Beautiful) and more.
Check out the official trailer for The Gates above and see it in select cinemas on March 13.
- Release Date
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March 13, 2026
- Director
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John Burr
- Writers
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John Burr
- Producers
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Nancy Leopardi, Ross Kohn