{"id":31451,"date":"2025-09-22T18:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T18:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/31451\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T18:33:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T18:33:08","slug":"james-van-der-beek-drops-out-of-live-dawsons-creek-reunion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/31451\/","title":{"rendered":"James Van Der Beek drops out of live ‘Dawson’s Creek’ reunion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

James Van Der Beek<\/a> is \u201cgutted\u201d he is missing the live \u201cDawson\u2019s Creek<\/a>\u201d reunion, which reportedly sold out<\/a> in 12 minutes last month. <\/p>\n

The actor, who played Dawson Leery on the hit teen drama, announced Sunday on Instagram<\/a> that he is unable to make the trip from Austin, Texas, to New York City for the Monday event because of two stomach viruses. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the evening I\u2019d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January,\u201d Van Der Beek wrote. \u201cDespite every effort\u2026 I won\u2019t get to be there. I won\u2019t 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.\u201d <\/p>\n

Van Der Beek was expected to join his \u201cDawson\u2019s Creek\u201d cast mates Michelle Williams<\/a>, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson<\/a>, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps for a live reading of the show\u2019s 1998 pilot episode. The series, which aired for six seasons<\/a>, followed aspiring filmmaker Dawson, his childhood best friends Joey (Holmes) and Pacey (Jackson), and his new neighbor Jen (Williams) as they navigated school, romance and a full range of coming-of-age issues. (Smith, Monroe and Philipps, who joined the series in later seasons, will be reading as other characters from the pilot.) <\/p>\n

To mitigate any disappointment, Van Der Beek said he will be replaced by his \u201cridiculously overqualified\u201d understudy: Lin-Manuel Miranda<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Miranda is \u201csomeone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me,\u201d he joked. \u201cPlus, he already knows how to get to the theater. So that\u2019s convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking place at New York City\u2019s Richard Rodgers Theatre on Monday, the ticketed event is a benefit for F Cancer and in support of Van Der Beek, who revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer<\/a>. \u201cDawson\u2019s Creek\u201d creator Kevin Williamson<\/a> told Variety<\/a> that the benefit was Williams\u2019 idea and will also include an auction and photo ops for charity. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe enlisted me, Thomas [Kail] and Greg [Berlanti] to help,\u201d Williamson said. \u201cJason Moore agreed to direct [and] our entire \u2018Dawson\u2019s Creek\u2019 family was excited to do this and very accommodating and generous with their time.\u201d <\/p>\n