Friends reunion special ‘to begin shooting next week’ after extensive Covid delays

The Friends reunion special planned at HBO Max is reportedly set to begin filming next week after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Deadline, the unscripted special will begin shooting next week in Los Angeles.

The report comes after David Schwimmer, who portrayed Ross Geller in the sitcom, said on The Graham Norton Show he was flying out to Los Angeles to film the programme with his former co-stars.

HBO Max and Warner Bros Television declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.

The Friends reunion special was originally announced in February 2020. It was meant to be available at HBO Max’s launch in May 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic significantly delayed production, making it impossible to stick to that planned schedule.

The programme will mark the first time that all six of the show’s stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, are all reunited in front of cameras. A 2016 reunion took place without Perry.

In its original announcement, HBO Max said the reunion special would film on the sitcom’s soundstage on the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank. Specific details of the updated production have not been unveiled.