James Van Der Beek Abruptly Drops Out Of The ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Reunion—And Lin Manuel Miranda Is Taking His Place
The Dawson’s Creek cast is reuniting this evening to read the 1998 pilot for charity—but the titular character Dawson himself, played by James Van Der Beek, won’t be making it to this class reunion.
Van Der Beek, who was diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2023, posted on Instagram to let his fans know that he wouldn’t be able to make the reading, thanks to two stomach viruses. The event raises money for the charity F Cancer in honor of Van Der Beek.
“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there,” Van Der Beek wrote on Instagram. “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.”
However, he let fans know that even though he won’t be able to step back into his role as the famous character, another fan favorite would be stepping up to take his place: Lin Manuel Miranda.
Though Miranda had nothing to do with the original show, he is beloved in the theatre world, and many fans will likely to excited to see him take on the cast reading. As Dawson (okay, fine, Van Der Beek) said himself on Instagram, Miranda is “A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist (had I ever dreamed he’d be available). Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me…”
While we’re certainly sad that Van Der Beek won’t be able to join in on the nostalgia, fans can still expect to see Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp,
Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps.
