Dawson's Creek Bombshell: James Van Der Beek Drops Out of Reunion — Dawson Recast With Oscar Nominee
Gutted to miss out, the actor is sidelined by an ongoing illness.
Well, this is a twist I did not have on my Dawson's Creek reunion bingo card: James Van Der Beek is missing the big live reading of the pilot due to illness, and his last-minute stand-in is... Lin-Manuel Miranda. Yes, that Lin-Manuel Miranda.
What this event actually is
The Creek gang is reuniting tonight in New York City to do a live read-through of the first episode, with proceeds going to the American nonprofit F Cancer. If you're not familiar, F Cancer focuses on early detection and prevention programs and offers resources for people dealing with cancer. It's a smart, very on-brand cause for this one, because Van Der Beek is in the middle of his own fight: he revealed in November 2024 that he has Stage 3 colorectal cancer.
That news was the spark for the reunion in the first place. Michelle Williams pulled the whole thing together after hearing about his diagnosis — which, honestly, is a classy move — and Van Der Beek even called her his "angel" on Instagram.
"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."
"Despite every effort... I won't get to be there. I won't get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theatre for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most."
The 'ridiculously overqualified' understudy
With Van Der Beek stuck at home in Austin, the show is still happening — and stepping in as Dawson is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Van Der Beek called him "ridiculously overqualified," which feels about right. Miranda created Hamilton and In The Heights, and he has acting credits in Mary Poppins Returns, His Dark Materials, and Disney Plus's Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
To Miranda, Van Der Beek wrote: "You were a hero to my kids before... now you're a demigod."
"Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family. I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin."
Quick refresher on the Creek and the cast
For anyone who came in late: Dawson's Creek premiered in 1998, came from Scream writer Kevin Williamson, and helped launch Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson alongside Van Der Beek. The reunion is a straight read of that first episode — a nice full-circle moment for a show that basically defined late-90s teen TV.
- What: Live reading of the Dawson's Creek pilot
- Where: New York City
- When: Tonight
- Why: Fundraiser for F Cancer (early detection, prevention, and support)
- Originally Dawson: James Van Der Beek (out sick)
- Pinch-hitting as Dawson: Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Organizer: Michelle Williams
And where you can watch the show
If this sends you down a nostalgia rabbit hole, Dawson's Creek is streaming on ITVX. Van Der Beek fans can also find him playing a delightfully heightened version of himself in Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23, and in later roles on FX's Pose and Prime Video's Overcompensating.