DAYS exec sets record straight about Jason Cook Brandon Beemer recast

Days of our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday, reveals why the show decided to replace Jason Cook with Brandon Beemer in the role of Shawn-Douglas.

NBC's Days of our Lives presented a whirlwind of casting decisions to fans in 2015, one of them being the decision to bring Jason Cook (ex-Matt Hunter, General Hospital) back in the role of Shawn-Douglas Brady. Soon after, however, came news that Cook would be replaced by the character's other former portrayer, Brandon Beemer (ex-Owen Knight, The Bold and the Beautiful). But why, exactly, was that decision made?

According to DAYS' executive producer, Ken Corday, the show tried very hard to make a deal with Cook to return full-time after the soap's 50th anniversary, but the actor -- who played the role from 1999 to 2006 -- wasn't interested. "Jason was very torn between being a permanent part of DAYS or expanding his career, and we said he couldn't do both," the exec shared with Soap Opera Digest. "He couldn't be on our show and do movies every two months or something like that. So we were forced into making the decision."

Luckily, Shawn's other popular portrayer, Beemer, was available. "[Otherwise] Shawn would have left and we wouldn't have been able to tell a Shawn/Belle/Philip story," Corday continues. "Hopefully the audience will see this as seamless. With the advent of another character coming back to the show mid-year, it's going to make the Shawn/Belle/Philip dynamic even more interesting."

As fans already know, the returning character Corday mentions is most likely Nadia Bjorlin, who will be reprising the role of Chloe Lane later this year.

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As for Beemer, a return date for the actor has yet to be announced, but he's expected to hit the canvas in the early part of this year. "I couldn't be happier to be working with such a wonderful group of people. I've really missed them," the actor, who played the role of Shawn from 2006 to 2008, shared with fans in November. "You all better get ready for some great stuff to be on your screens very soon!"

What do you think about Cook's desire to pursue things outside of DAYS? Do you wish the show had worked with him, or are you happy about the return of Beemer? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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