The men of young Black Hollywood are hitting the screen with a new kind of thriller. Lionsgate Premiere has unveiled the first details for The Gates, a specialty thriller starring Mason Gooding, Algee Smith, and Keith Powers. The film will arrive in select theaters on March 13.
At the center of The Gates are three college students, Derek, Kevin, and Tyon, played by Gooding, Smith, and Powers. What begins as a simple road trip quickly spirals into something far darker when the trio takes an ill-advised shortcut through a remote gated community.
Instead of finding an easy way out, they find themselves trapped inside. After witnessing a murder, the three young men are suddenly thrust into a nightmare: blamed for the crime, hunted through the night, and forced to navigate not only the danger around them, but the fractures forming between them.
The gated community becomes its own maze, both physical and psychological, as paranoia rises and belief systems collide. Adding another layer of tension is James Van Der Beek, described as “at his most charming and terrifying,” playing the cunning patriarch who holds the entire community under his influence.
The Gates marks the second feature from writer-director John Burr, following his debut supernatural thriller Muse. But Burr says this film is his most personal work yet.
“This script is the most personal story I’ve ever written,” Burr shared, explaining that the film is set in the community where he lived during the first half of his life. Its characters, he notes, are deeply rooted in his own upbringing and friendships.
Growing up biracial, Burr reflected on the complex ways identity shaped his relationship to privilege, authority, and belonging. “Trusting authority figures was a privilege,” he said. “Understanding that not all of my friends had that privilege was a journey. This film explores that journey through a propulsive genre lens.”
The Gates opens in select theaters on March 13.
Photo Credit: Lionsgate
