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385848 27: Cast members of NBC's comedy series "Friends." Pictured (l to r): David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Cook, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay. Episode: "The One Where They All Turn Thirthy."
The filming of the much-anticipated "Friends" reunion episode had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The patience of the hit sitcom's fans has been strained, but Matthew Perry's announcement affirms that it will be worth the wait.
According to Matthew Perry, the special episode's shooting in which the actors of the cult series would reunite has been rescheduled to March 2021.
'Friends' Reunion to Be Slated on March 2021
The goal is to tape the reunion during the first part of next year, which possibly means it is set to air in the spring.
The plans have yet to be finalized. According to sources, Matthew Perry's tweet on Thursday seemed to confirm the timetable.
The reports come after the reunion special was postponed multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic underway and its adverse effects on physical production.
The episode was initially scheduled to film in March 2020 with a live audience. However, the plans were thrown out the window when the pandemic halted production across the United States. Then, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt stated in May that their company was looking to film the special episode by the end of the summer.
The one-off show would be an unscripted special consisting of the original lead cast.
It was slated to air on HBO Max and was initially due to shoot in March, then August, and lastly, the date confirmed by Perry on Twitter.
Actor Perry, who played the character of Chandler Bing on the household name sitcom, remarked he was thrilled for another busy year.
The news comes after months of rumors and anticipation from fans of the series.
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The lead cast was set to reunite on HBO's streaming service HBO Max to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the iconic sitcom.
Matthew Perry wrote on Twitter, "Friends Reunion being rescheduled for the beginning of March. It looks like we have a busy year coming up. And that's the way I like it!"
The cast of "Friends" include Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courtney Cox (Monika Geller), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), and Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani).
The declaration means that the special episode has been postponed a full year. It was initially scheduled to premiere on May 27, along with HBO Max's launch.
In August, filming for the episode was indefinitely delayed amid a surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide.
According to Schwimmer in July, "The truth is, we'll do it when we all determine it's safe to do so. There's no question we want to do it, and it's going to happen. It's just really a question of when will be the safest time to do it," reported Yahoo News.
Meanwhile, according to Aniston, "Unfortunately it's very sad that we had to move it again. It was, 'How do we do this with live audiences?' This is not a safe time. Period. That's the bottom line." reported Geo News.
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