‘Happy Hours’: Joshua Jackson Shares New Update on Katie Holmes Romance Movie
If Pacey and Joey were the only couple that ever “made total and complete sense” on your TV screen, you’re in luck, because Dawson’s Creek stars Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are working together again, nearly 30 years after the teen drama first premiered.
On March 10, Jackson made an appearance on Today and discussed his reunion with Holmes. “For me, selfishly, it was just an opportunity to get to work with Kate again,” he said. “We spent so much intense time at a very particular moment in our lives, and then we have maintained our friendship for all of these years, but we’ve never had the chance to be on camera together, and it was magic. It’s just nice to go back into that place.”
He added, “You never know until you’re actually doing the thing, but to actually still have chemistry with somebody after all those years is nice.”
Read on to learn more about Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson’s Happy Hours movie, his latest update, and who else has been cast in the film.
What is Happy Hours about?
Happy Hours follows characters portrayed by Holmes and Jackson as they navigate their relationship “within the challenges of careers and family responsibilities and the pursuit of love, despite life’s inevitable obstacles,” per Deadline, who announced the film in July 2025. For anyone who loves a second-chance romance, the trilogy has been promoted as an “emotional journey of young loves who reconnect as adults.”
Fred Norris / Columbia TriStar Television / Everett Collection
“Katie wrote this beautiful story for the two of us that is the three phases of a love story,” Jackson teased on Today.
When is Happy Hours coming out?
There is no official release date for Happy Hours as of March 2026. The first film in the trilogy went into production during the summer of 2025.
Jackson confirmed on Today that the first movie was done, but the two subsequent movies hadn’t been filmed yet. “We shot the fun part, which is the falling in love, and she’s cutting it now, and hopefully it will give us the opportunity to go back and make the other two,” he revealed.
Who has been cast in Happy Hours?
Other than Holmes and Jackson, multiple actors have joined the Happy Hours cast. On the day that Happy Hours was first announced, it was confirmed that Broadway star Joe Tippett (Waitress, Mare of Easttown) has joined the cast. The stage star is joined by Donald Webber Jr., best known for Severance, and Nathan Darrow from House of Cards.
Mark Seliger
Following the announcement, Holmes posted on her Instagram about the cast and crew. She stated, “I am so very grateful to be working again with so many of my wonderful friends on this film HAPPY HOURS. And working with Josh after so many years is a testament to friendship. HAPPY HOURS is a love story that includes so many people I adore. We can’t wait for everyone to see what we make.” In the post, she tagged Jackson, Constance Wu, Mary Louise Parker, John McGinty, Donald Webber Jr., Sky Smith, Brie Welch, and Michael Fitzgerald.
Did Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson date?
The former costars’ chemistry extended off-screen, as the Pacey and Joey actors had a real-life relationship during the early seasons of Dawson’s Creek back in 1998. At 19 years old, Holmes gave a now-famous interview to Rolling Stone where she alluded to her relationship with Jackson, sharing, “I’m just going to say that I met somebody last year. I fell in love, I had my first love, and it was something so incredible and indescribable that I will treasure it always.”
Ironically, Holmes and Jackson broke up in 1999, around the time their characters became an official couple on the show. While many did not expect a public reunion to be in the cards for the exes, earlier this year Jackson reflected on their relationship, stating on Jesse Tyler Ferguson‘s Dinner’s on Me podcast, “Katie and I are very close. It’s not a daily call. Sometimes it’s not a weekly or monthly or even a half-yearly call.” Seems like the duo will be seeing a lot more of each other than a daily call for the foreseeable future.
Happy Hours, Film Trilogy, TBA
