James Van Der Beek, the actor who became a defining face of late-’90s teen television as earnest aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery on The WB’s Dawson’s Creek, died Wednesday following a prolonged battle with colorectal cancer. He was 48. His family confirmed the news on social media.

Van Der Beek publicly disclosed his diagnosis in November 2024. In a statement posted to Instagram, his family wrote, “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”

In the months after revealing his illness, the actor auctioned memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to help offset treatment costs. He also withdrew from a one-night Dawson’s Creek reunion benefiting F Cancer; Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in for the live stage reading of the pilot. Van Der Beek had recently been cast in a recurring role as a mayoral candidate in Prime Video’s upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle.

Born March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek began his professional acting career at 16, appearing off-Broadway in Edward Albee’s Finding the Sun, directed by Albee. Though he would become synonymous with television, he often described himself as “a theater kid” at heart.

That changed in 1997 when he was cast in Dawson’s Creek, Kevin Williamson’s coming-of-age drama that premiered in January 1998 to record ratings for The WB. The series, which also launched the careers of Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, became a cultural touchstone, dominating among teenage viewers and running for six seasons through 2003. It later found new life on streaming, introducing Van Der Beek’s performance to another generation.

As his television fame grew, Van Der Beek headlined the 1999 high school football drama Varsity Blues and later starred in the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation The Rules of Attraction (2002). Though neither film was a blockbuster on release, both became emblematic of the era and earned enduring cult followings.

His later work included a starring role opposite Patricia Arquette on CBS’ CSI: Cyber and a self-aware turn playing a heightened version of himself on ABC’s Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23. He also voiced a lead role on Disney Channel’s animated series Vampirina and appeared on shows ranging from One Tree Hill to Modern Family and Law & Order: SVU.

Van Der Beek is survived by his wife of more than 25 years, Kimberly, and their six children — four daughters and two sons. A GoFundMe page has been established to assist his family with living expenses.

Franz Rogowski and Benedict Wong are boarding A24’s The Masque of the Red Death, joining previously announced stars Mikey Madison and Léa Seydoux in Charlie Polinger’s revisionist take on the Edgar Allan Poe classic.

Rogowski (Passages) and Wong (Weapons) have closed deals for the feature, which Polinger will direct from his own screenplay. The project is described as a wildly reimagined and darkly comedic interpretation of Poe’s 1842 short story. Specific character details are being kept under wraps.

In Poe’s original tale, Prince Prospero retreats with a circle of aristocrats to a fortified abbey as a devastating plague sweeps the land. Sealed off from the suffering outside, the nobles attempt to outlast the contagion by hosting a lavish masquerade ball. As the festivities unfold, a mysterious and ominous figure infiltrates the celebration, forcing the revelers to confront the inescapable reality they believed they had successfully walled off.

Polinger, a DGA Award winner, is expected to bring a contemporary lens to the material, blending horror and satire in a manner that aligns with A24’s penchant for auteur-driven genre fare.

Julia Hammer and Erik Feig are producing for Picturestart, alongside James Presson and Lucy McKendrick. Polinger will executive produce. A24 is set to distribute the film worldwide.

Universal is returning to familiar territory.

Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are set to reprise their roles in the studio’s The Mummy franchise, with a new installment dated for May 19, 2028. The studio had previously reserved the slot for an untitled event film, and there are currently no other wide releases scheduled for that weekend.

As previously reported, Fraser and Weisz had been in negotiations to star in the project, which will be directed by Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by David Coggeshall (The Family Plan, Orphan: First Kill). Plot details are being kept under wraps.

Weisz starred opposite Fraser in 1999’s The Mummy and 2001’s The Mummy Returns, while Fraser led those two films as well as 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The original trilogy became a defining action-adventure franchise of the late ’90s and early 2000s, blending supernatural spectacle with swashbuckling humor.

The new film brings Radio Silence back into business with Universal following the duo’s 2024 vampire thriller Abigail. The project signals another attempt by the studio to reinvigorate the Mummy property after the 2017 Tom Cruise-led reboot failed to launch a broader “Dark Universe” franchise.

Sean Daniel, a longtime steward of The Mummy series — which has grossed $1.8 billion worldwide — returns to produce. Daniel previously produced the first three films as well as the 2017 reboot. Also producing are William Sherak, James Vanderbilt and Paul Neinstein through Project X Entertainment. Fraser, along with Hivemind’s Jason F. Brown and Denis Stewart, will serve as executive producers.

With Fraser and Weisz back in the fold, Universal appears to be leaning into nostalgia for the franchise’s next chapter as it stakes out a prime early summer release corridor.