DEADLINE: James Van Der Beek Among New Additions To Tubi Original ‘Sidelined: The QB and Me’
June 6, 2024
EXCLUSIVE: James Van Der Beek (Pose) has signed on to star in Sidelined: The QB and Me (fka The QB Bad Boy and Me), the upcoming Tubi Original based on Wattpad’s breakout YA novel The QB Bad Boy and Me by Tay Marley, which has to date amassed over 31M reads.
Van Der Beek joins a cast led by Siena Agudong, which also includes Noah Beck and Drew Ray Tanner. Other new additions to the ensemble of the film, on which we were first to report, include Deborah Cox (Station Eleven) and Jake Foy (Allegiance).
Sidelined tells the story of Dallas (Agudong), a burdened but headstrong dancer, who is determined to get into the best dance school in the country — her late mother’s alma mater. However, that dream is suddenly derailed when the cheeky yet secretly grieving football star, Drayton (Beck), crashes into her life with a unique story of his own. Will the two of them be able to grow into their dreams together or will their dreams be sidelined?
Van Der Beek plays Leroy Lahey, the tough but well-meaning father to Drayton. Leroy sets high expectations for his son both on and off the football field, pushing him to strive for excellence while struggling to express his own grief and vulnerability.
Cox portrays Miss Alicia, the owner of a small-town dance studio that has seen better days. She recognizes Dallas is a technically skilled dancer with the potential to be extraordinary. However, she worries that Dallas’s dancing lacks the soul and spontaneity necessary for acceptance into a prestigious dance school.
Foy plays Mr. Justin Douglas, an easy-going teacher who develops a romantic interest with Nathan (Tanner).
Justin Wu (Reginald the Vampire) is directing from a script by Mary Gulino (Upload) and Crystal Ferreiro (Diary of a Future President). Pic’s producers include Adam Wescott, McKenna Marshall, Wattpad Webtoon Studios’ Aron Levitz, and Lindsey Ramey. David Madden is executive producing for Wattpad W Webtoon Studios, and Lindsay Macadam, David Way and Tony Chung are executive producing for Thunderbird Entertainment’s Great Pacific Media, which will finance and produce the project in Canada.
Blue Fox Entertainment will handle international sales for the project, which is slated to premiere exclusively on Tubi within the next year.
Best known for iconic turns in projects like Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues, as well as the Viceland series What Would Diplo Do?, which he starred in and co-created with Brandon Dermer, Van Der Beek has most recently been seen in FX’s Pose and films including Bad Hair and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
Cox is best known for her work on series like First Wives Club and Station Eleven, among other projects.
In addition to NBC’s Allegiance, Foy has been seen in Designated Survivor, Star Trek Beyond and more.
Van Der Beek is repped by Independent Artist Group, Novo Entertainment and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum; Cox by The Characters Talent Agency and Deco Entertainment; and Foy by Trisko Talent Management and Atlas Artists.
