Friends Reunion Special at HBO Max Postponed amid Coronavirus Pandemic
The highly anticipated Friends reunion special at HBO Max has been delayed, a source confirms to PEOPLE.
On Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that production for the special has been postponed until at least May amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the outlet, it was set to be filmed next week, but a new formal filming date has not yet been determined.
The news comes in the wake of countless television shows making the decision to film without live audiences and delaying or shutting down production as a result of coronavirus.
Last month, HBO Max confirmed a Friends reunion starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc was officially happening.
Brian D. McLaughlin/NBCU Friends
“The one where they got back together,” HBO Max posted in an Instagram Story. “The Friends cast set to reunite for exclusive HBO Max special #FriendsReunion #HBOMax.”
The entire cast will return to the comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California, for a celebration of the series. The unscripted cast reunion special, along with all 236 episodes of the series, was set to be available to subscribers at the launch of HBO Max in May 2020. It is unclear if that timing will change.
“Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together — we are reuniting with David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa, and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire Friendslibrary,” Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max and president, TBS, TNT, and truTV, said in a statement.
To announce the upcoming reunion, Cox, Aniston, Kudrow, Perry and Schwimmer all posted the same cast photo to their respective Instagram accounts while LeBlanc jokingly posted a MASH cast photo.
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“It’s happening,” the Friends cast all wrote in their captions.
A post shared by Jennifer Aniston (@jenniferaniston) on Feb 21, 2020 at 2:04pm PST
Friends aired for 10 seasons before its series finale in 2004. Since then, the actors have gone on to act and direct in other projects, though the show that made them household names has continued to hold a special place, perhaps most notably for Aniston.
“Friends was the most important and the most loved project ever for Jen,” a source close to the actress previously told PEOPLE. “When it ended, she basically cried for days.”
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