Trailer for James Van Der Beek's final film before bowel cancer death released

A trailer for the final film project that James Van Der Beek starred in prior to his death has been released.

The actor passed away earlier this month after battling bowel cancer, with his family announcing that he faced his 'final days with courage, faith and grace'.

A GoFundMe was set up in honour of the father-of-six following his passing on 11 February, which has raised more than $2.6million in donations.

A week on from the death of the Dawson's Creek star, a trailer for The Gates - a film which marks Van Der Beek's last Hollywood role before his passing - was released.

The teaser for the horror flick, which also stars Mason Gooding, Keith Powers and Algee Smith, dropped on Wednesday (18 February).

Van Der Beek takes on a villainous role in The Gates, as director John Burr explained he is the 'flawed, amoral antagonist of the story'.

Take a look at the trailer here:

Burr, who wrote and directed The Gates, said he felt 'incredibly fortunate' to have worked alongside Van Der Beek on set.

The upcoming horror is the filmmaker's second feature, following his debut with the supernatural thriller Muse. It's set to be released next month in the US.

The official synopsis for the chilling flick reads: "Three college students Derek, Kevin, and Tyon (Gooding, Smith, and Powers) 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.

"Over the course of the night, they find themselves blamed, hunted, and fractured by their own differing belief systems, while the perpetrator - James Van Der Beek, at his most charming and terrifying - emerges as the cunning patriarch that holds the entire community under his influence."

In a statement in wake of the 48-year-old's passing, Burr said it had been a pleasure to include Van Der Beek in the cast for The Gate.

The trailer for Van Der Beek's final film role before his passing dropped on Wednesday (Lionsgate)

The filmmaker said: "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."

Burr said the cast and crew were unaware that Van Der Beek was 'already deep into his battle', adding: "We were all shocked to learn with the rest of the world about his diagnosis."

Saying he was glad to 'have been so lucky to know him', the director added: "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.

The Gates is set to release next month (Lionsgate)

"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."

Van Der Beek is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children - daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.

In November 2024, the actor announced that he had been diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer.

Speaking to People in 2024, he explained that the cancer had been discovered after a routine colonoscopy in 2023, which he went for after experiencing 'a change in bowel habits'.

He said: "I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good."

Last November, the actor had said he was planning on selling Dawson's Creek memorabilia to fund his cancer treatment, having told People he'd decided it was time.