James Van Der Beek is stepping back onto the sidelines.
Tubi offered a first look at the Dawson’s Creek alum in the upcoming movie Sidelined 2: Intercepted on Monday, October 6. The film is a sequel to the 2024 movie Sidelined: The QB and Me, starring Noah Beck and Siena Agudong.
Van Der Beek will be reprising his role as Leroy Lahey, who is Beck’s character’s dad. One newly released still from the movie showed Beck, 24, in a University of Southern California football jersey standing alongside Van Der Beek on a football field while being interviewed.
The movie is set to premiere on Tubi next month.
Beck, 24, shared a behind-the-scenes look at himself and Van Der Beek on set this past April when filming officially wrapped.
“U all already know how much this project means to me. The love the first film got exceeded all expectations, but to get a second one??? Now that’s love,” Beck captioned a series of Instagram photos at the time. “The set environment we have built on this project truly reflects the product, and it stems from the whole cast to the entirety of the crew.”
He concluded, “Being able to step into the shoes of Drayton for another movie was a dream and I can’t wait for u to experience the ups and downs of college life w him xx.”
Van Der Beek’s appearance in the upcoming film comes amid his ongoing cancer battle.
The actor recently missed out on the Dawson’s Creek New York City reunion because he was healing from an illness. The actor did, however, make a rare virtual appearance. (The September 22 event at the Richard Rodgers Theatre was put together by Dawson’s Creek alum Michelle Williams to raise money for F Cancer.)
“I can’t believe I’m not there,” Van Der Beek shared in a video message played on stage. “I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my castmates, my beautiful cast, in person, and I just wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight — from the cast to the crew to everybody who donated their time and has been so generous. And especially every single last one of you. You’re the best fans in the world. Thank you for coming.”
While the actor has yet to discuss his upcoming appearance in Sidelined 2: Intercepted, Van Der Beek has previously showed off the fun he had on the movie series’ set.
Van Der Beek shared a TikTok video alongside Beck in June 2024, and the duo discussed their onscreen father-son bond.
“Noah, be honest, how would you rate Leroy as a father?” Van Der Beek asked. “From one to 10. One being the worst, 10 being the best.”
Beck wanted to clarify whether Van Der Beek meant “early on in the story or later.” After the two landed on an “overall” rating, Beck offered him a seven out of 10.
“Go to your room,” Van Der Beek quipped. “You’re grounded.”
When the first movie in the film series was released, Beck couldn’t help but gush about working alongside Van Der Beek and discussing the actor’s 1999 classic, Varsity Blues.
“He was amazing,” Beck said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, joking that Sidelined: The QB and Me could be a sequel to the 1990s sports movie — in a way. “It’s, kind of, a perfect little segue from his character in Varsity Blues.”
