New Delhi: The cast of the popular 1990s American sitcom ‘Friends’ will begin shooting the much-anticipated reunion episode this week, after several delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The episode, which will stream on HBO Max, will be “unscripted” and the actors will not be reprising their characters but will be playing themselves.
Titled ‘The One Where They Got Back Together’, the special edition will feature all six of the cast members — Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc — and will also be shot on the show’s original soundstage, Stage 24, at the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, Los Angeles.
The reunion is being executively produced by the creators of the hit show, Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, along with the six actors. It will be directed by Ben Winston, who is also the co-executive producer of The Late Late Show with James Corden, and is likely to be filmed with a live audience, just like the original.
The actors are reported to be getting at least $2.5 million each for the episode.
The Friends reunion special was supposed to begin filming in March 2020 and was scheduled to release the subsequent summer, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the shoot.
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‘Unscripted’ reunion
While all six actors are part of the episode, they will not be essaying their iconic characters Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Ross Geller, Joey Tribianni and Chandler Bing.
In an interview last week, David Schwimmer, who played Ross, said: “I will be myself. There’s nothing scripted, we are not in characters. We are all ourselves, the real people. Although there is a section of it that I don’t want to give away, we all will read something.”
Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, also gave some hints about the episode in a podcast interview with actor Rob Lowe in January.
“Instead of the cast repairing their roles, it will be something along the lines of the recent Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion that saw cast members reminisce on the popular series,” said Kudrow.
Streaming rights
The original sitcom ran for 10 seasons and 236 episodes, from 1994 to 2004. Over the span of 10 years, it reached almost cult status across the world.
It secured 62 Emmy nominations during its run and won six of them, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002, for its eighth season when Rachel and Ross had their baby.
While the series wrapped up almost 17 years ago, it continues to be extremely popular. On Netflix US, Friends had been one of the most streamed series for the longest time.
In July 2020, WarnerMedia’s HBO outbid Netflix to get the show’s streaming rights in a $500 million deal.
Since its launch on 27 May last year, the show has been number 1 on HBO Max.
(Edited by Rachel John)
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