Friends Reunion Special Postponed Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

The Friends Reunion Special has been delayed over at HBO Max due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Hollywood Reporter details the delayed production and has a source that says the special was set to be filmed on March 23rd and 24th on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank. Things will be held down until at least May and there’s no formal filming date yet. It remains uncertain when all of the programmings on various platforms will resume production as normal. There have been a host of shows, movies, and theater productions postponed due to the pandemic.

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer were all set to return. Also rejoining the project are series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman. The Friends Reunion Special was set to be a huge draw for HBO Max in the early days of the service. The company paid a pretty penny to get the streaming rights to the landmark show. That reinforces the thought that multiple industry minds had that all of these different services will be fighting for digital real estate later this year. But, now with coronavirus in the thick of the public consciousness, the question of more home-based entertainment becomes pressing.

“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform. HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions, and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries, starting with the phenomenon that is ‘Friends,’” he explained. “Under the leadership of two of the strongest creative visionaries — Casey Bloys (HBO) and Kevin Reilly (original content and acquisitions) — and two of the most experienced digital experts — Tony Goncalves and Andy Forssell — I have no doubt they and their dedicated teams will deliver the world’s best storytelling to audiences of all ages wherever and whenever they want it.”

All 236 episodes of Friends will find a new home on HBO Max after leaving its current streaming home, Netflix. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Pretty Little Liars will also be a part of HBO Max’s library. The streaming service has marshaled some top tier creatives for their exclusive content. Arrowverse architect Greg Berlanti and Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning actress and producer Reese Witherspoon. Berlanti is slated to create four movies aimed at young adults. Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine will produce at least two films.

Were you looking forward to the Friends Reunion Special? Let us know in the comments!