James Van Der Beek has been cast in the Legally Blonde prequel, just six months after announcing his cancer diagnosis.
Yes! James Van Der Beek is stepping into the world of Legally Blonde as Dean Wilson, a school district superintendent and mayoral candidate in the upcoming prequel series Elle. This marks a big moment for him, as it comes just six months after he publicly shared his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis.
The series will explore Elle Woods' high school years, showing the experiences that shaped her into the confident, determined character fans love. Reese Witherspoon, who originally played Elle, is executive producing the show through her Hello Sunshine production company.
Van Der Beek expressed his excitement about joining the cast, saying he’s thrilled to be part of such a fun project—and his wife and daughters are just as excited for him.
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It’s inspiring to see him back at work while navigating his health journey.
"So, this is exciting… I’m going back to work for a bit," the 48-year-old captioned a screenshot of an article about the news on Instagram May 15. "Super excited to join this awesome cast in such a fun project. Almost as excited as my wife and girls are that I’m doing this."
This isn't the first time that James has returned to work since announcing his diagnosis, which he'd received the previous in August, back in November. The Varsity Blues actor performed on The Masked Singer as the Griffin back in March, following which he shared an update on his cancer struggle.
"I'm in a healing portal," he shared in an interview published March 20. "I've done a bunch of stuff, and I feel like I can see the finish line. It's not the first time I've felt that, but I'm in a healing phase, which is great."
He "liked the mask" that he was able to wear during his performances, James continued.
"I just announced the health issues I was dealing with," he explained, "so to be able to put on the mask and connect with an audience without that being a part of the equation was actually a really beautiful thing."
James' children joined him onstage during his singing competition stint, where he discussed how they were navigating the challenging period as an eight-member family.
"It's been a really tough year,” James said, “but fortunately, we've been able to face this challenge together in our home. I would not have gotten through this without them. They make me smile on all the tough days and they're strong for me when I sometimes can't be."
