FILE PHOTO: The cast of ‘Friends’ from (L-R) Courteney Cox Arquette, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc arrive at NBC studios for the 75th Anniversary show for the network in Manhattan on May 5, 2002. REUTERS/Chip East
November 12, 2020
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The long-delayed “Friends” reunion special is expected to shoot in March, actor Matthew Perry said on Thursday, a year after plans to get the cast back together were wrecked because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Friends reunion being rescheduled for the beginning of March. Looks like we have a busy year coming up. And that’s the way I like it!” Perry tweeted.
The one-off unscripted special was supposed to launch the HBO Max streaming service in May 2020, but plans to film it have been repeatedly delayed by the pandemic that shut down production in Hollywood in mid-March.
A source close to the production said on Thursday that plans were still being finalized but that the first part of 2021 was the target date for the taping.
“Friends,” also starring Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc as twentysomethings living in New York City, ended in 2004 after 10 years but it remains one of the most popular TV shows in reruns.
HBO Max said earlier this year it hoped to film the reunion in the studio with a live audience.
Hollywood movies and television shows have slowly resumed production under complex safety guidelines that include social distancing, frequent testing for cast and crews, and COVID-19 advisers on sets.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Peter Cooney)
