In yet another coronavirus-motivated delay, HBO Max's Friends reunion special will be pushing its filming back by two months. The show has maintained its massive popularity despite ending its 236-episode run back in 2004. It helps that many fans discovered Friends on Netflix, which paid out around $100 million to keep the show's streaming rights through 2019. Netflix then lost those rights to HBO Max in a $425 million mega-deal. HBO's new streaming service plans to include the show's reunion in its debut content package when it launches this May.
According to EW, that special, which will be an unscripted discussion, is now delayed due to the coronavirus. The filming was set to take place this coming Monday and Tuesday at the show's former home on Stage 24 of Warner Bros' lot in Burbank. The two-month delay is viewed as a best-case scenario, as it's impossible to know for sure when filming will be able to resume in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as of now, HBO Max is still planning on the reunion special being available at launch.
The Friends reunion is set to feature the entire main cast of Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, alongside series creators David Krane and Marta Kauffman. The cast negotiated hefty fees together to appear in the special, and it was widely considered to be one of HBO Max's most subscription-driving pieces of content.
Source: EW