Our Friends might not be there for us just yet, but it’s for the good of us all.
HBO Max’s planned Friends reunion special is going to have to be delayed, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The special was supposed to film next week, but that has been postponed as with the filming of most productions for the time being.
The reunion special was meant to premiere along with the launch of HBO Max in May. Now, filming will likely be delayed until at least May, per Variety, so we’ll just have to settle for having all 10 seasons of Friends to binge again while we wait for the special to happen.
The unscripted special, which was confirmed by HBO Max in February, will reunite Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer along with creators Marta Kauffman, Kevin Bright, and David Crane. It’s supposed to be filmed on the show’s original soundstage at Warner Bros Studios.
Friends joins hundreds of other Hollywood productions in shutting down for the safety of the cast and crew in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Warner Bros, which produces Friends, released a statement last week about the situation.
“With the rapidly changing events related to COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, Warner Bros. Television Group is halting production on some of our 70+ series and pilots currently filming or about to begin,” they said. “There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any of our productions, but the health and safety of our employees, casts and crews remains our top priority. During this time, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control as well as local officials and public health professionals in each city where our productions are based.”
You can keep up with all of the industry productions and events that have been affected by the pandemic with our updated guide.