Finally, the news all “Friends” fans have been waiting for has come to pass. No, it’s not a reboot of the show. Or a movie. But it’s the next best thing: a one-off special for HBO, reportedly featuring all six core cast members.
We may have said farewell to Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Phoebe and Joey 15 years ago when the 10-season NBC TV series ended in 2004, but Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc are all said to be on board for an on-screen reunion.
The hour-long unscripted special, which will help launch the upcoming streaming service HBO Max, will earn the stars $3 to $4 million each. But while the latest reports say the deal is coming and the actors have reached an “agreement in principle,” it isn’t yet confirmed.
“After some early back-and-forth between the cast’s representatives, WBTV and HBO Max last fall, the negotiations came to a standstill at the end of 2019, with the actors and Warner Bros. TV far apart on money,” Deadline reported. “The impasse lasted several weeks, prompting HBO Max’s Chief Creative Officer Kevin Reilly to be very cautious when asked about the status of the special on January 15 during TCA [Television Critics Association].”
But negotiations resumed again, and it seems like the two sides were able to find common ground.
Last October, Aniston confirmed that the “Friends” cast was “working on something,” but insisted it wouldn’t be a reboot of the original show. During an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Aniston said, “We’d love for there to be something, but we don’t know what that something is, so we’re just trying — we’re really, we’re working on something.”
On Feb. 5, Perry basically confirmed that the “something” was about to be revealed.
Big news coming…
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) February 5, 2020
It’s no surprise that Twitter went into meltdown, with fans expressing their excitement via suitably-themed memes. User @ynaffit79 shared a scene from the show’s finale, when Chandler declares, “I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m excited!”
— TiffanyF ð (@ynaffit79) February 5, 2020
Twitter user @rkirk316 chose one of the show’s most famous lines to respond to Perry’s cryptic tweet — and it’s not one from a main character but the lovable Janice, played by Maggie Wheeler.
Please say it’s a Friends Reunion!?!? pic.twitter.com/4uezDbxeyJ
— Momma Rach âï¸ (@rkirk316) February 5, 2020
And user @davidallegranti expressed his delight with the help of Rachel and Phoebe jumping up and down and clapping in Ross’s apartment.
— David Allegranti (@davidallegranti) February 5, 2020
An official announcement is expected any day now. In the meantime, could we be any more excited?
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