The reunion event for the iconic teen drama series Dawson’s Creek will no longer feature actor James Van Der Beek, who portrayed the eponymous Dawson Leery in the show. Instead, Lin-Manuel Miranda will play the character in the reunion. Dawson’s Creek originally aired for six seasons on The WB from 1998 to 2003. Notably, series creator Kevin Williamson disclosed in a recent interview that Michelle Williams, who played Jen Lindley in the show, came up with the idea of the reunion after Van Der Beek announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer.
James Van Der Beek leaves Dawson’s Creek reunion following stomach viruses
Van Der Beek took to Instagram to reveal that he would not attend the Dawson’s Creek reunion charity event because of “two stomach viruses.” “This is the evening I’d been looking forward to most since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January, ” he shared. “So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment,” he further wrote.
The 48-year-old actor proceeded to note that he would not be able to attend the event “despite every effort.” He continued, “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”
In November 2024, Van Der Beek spoke about his diagnosis for the first time during an interview with People.
Lin-Manuel Miranda to play Dawson in Dawson’s Creek reunion
In the Instagram post mentioned above, Van Der Beek also unveiled that his “understudy” would be the Emmy, Tony, Pulitzer, and Grammy-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. “A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist (had I ever dreamed he’d be available),” the Overcompensating actor posted, “Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me… Plus, he already knows how to get to the theater. So that’s convenient.” He added, “The role of ‘Dawson,’ usually played by James Van Der Beek… Will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Additionally, Van Der Beek mentioned that he would be watching the event from his home in Austin, Texas.
The event will take place today at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York and will benefit F Cancer and Van Der Beek. It will include a live reading of the pilot episode. Williamson, Joshua Jackson, Williams, Katie Holmes, and more will be present at the event.
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on ComingSoon.
