Friends reunion special rescheduled to film in March 2021

The long-delayed Friends reunion special is expected to shoot in March, actor Matthew Perry said, 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 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.

Friends, also starring Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc as twenty-somethings 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.