Lin-Manuel Miranda to replace Van Der Beek at Dawson's Creek reunion

James Van Der Beek will be absent from a one-night-only Dawsons Creek reunion in New York on Sept. 22 after contracting two stomach viruses, organizers and the actor said, and Lin-Manuel Miranda will step in to play Dawson Leery at the Richard Rodgers Theatre as the original cast gathers to raise money and awareness for colorectal cancer. The live reading of the show’s 1998 pilot will benefit the nonprofit F Cancer and support Van Der Beek, who announced last year that he is undergoing treatment for stage 3 colorectal cancer.

Van Der Beek posted on Instagram that he is "gutted" to miss the event, writing that despite every effort he will not be able to stand on stage and thank attendees in person. He said he would be "beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin" and thanked Miranda, calling him a "ridiculously overqualified replacement." Organizers confirmed Miranda will take the role for the night.

The reunion was spearheaded by Michelle Williams, who enlisted creator Kevin Williamson and producers including Thomas Kail and Greg Berlanti, Williamson said. Jason Moore is directing the staged reading and Renée Elise Goldsberry will serve as narrator. Cast members expected...