Filming for Friends reunion special might be set at the end of summer
It has already been over a month since filming on HBO Max‘s forthcoming Friends reunion special has been postponed because of the ongoing global pandemic, and now WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt has officially given a new update on how long before the long-awaited reunion will be able to proceed with its production. Speaking with Variety, Greenblatt has revealed that the unscripted special might potentially complete its filming by the end of the summer.
“At first we thought, shows will be delayed for a month or two at the most, and now it seems like it’s going to be far longer than that,” Greenblatt said. “We’re holding out for being able to get this special done hopefully by the end of the summer, if the stars align and hopefully we can get back into production. We do think there’s a value to having a big, raucous live audience to experience these six great friends coming back together and we didn’t want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms.”
However, if the country’s current situation stays the same in the coming months, Greenblatt has also confirmed that they might consider going for the virtual route instead of filming in the studio. “But at the moment, we’re trying to look to the future and get this thing done in a more conventional way, and I think it’s worth waiting for,” He added. “We would have loved to have had it on [HBO Max on] Day One, but at the same time, if we can get it launched in the fall, I think it’ll be something that we can have the audience really looking forward to as well.”
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Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends had lasted over ten seasons from 1994-2004 which followed the story of six friends who lived in New York City. Even though 25 years had passed since its debut, the 62-time Emmy Award-nominated series stood the test of time and is still garnered as one of the best TV series of all time and had also become a pop culture phenomenon known to all ages.
The long-awaited reunion special would be featuring Jennifer Aniston Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc, who have portrayed the roles of Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Ross, Chandler and Joey. Each of the beloved cast members will reportedly earned $3 million – $4 million for the special.
The unscripted Friends reunion special will be directed b Ben Winston, who will also serve as an executive producer along with the original producers Kevin Bright, Kauffman and Crane. The six core stars will also executive produce alongside Emma Conway and James Longman.
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Last July, it was reported that WarnerMedia had successfully won back the exclusive streaming rights for all 10 seasons of Friends for price of $425 million. According to a previous report, it was Warner Media Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, who was responsible for pushing to develop a Friends reunion special.
Originally set to become a part of the streaming service’s launch on May 27, the special will be filmed on the iconic show’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank.
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