'Friends' Reunion Coming to HBO Max?
by EG
HBO paid an astronomical sum for the rights to Friends reruns, and now they're working on a reunion special to drum up excitement about the 90s sitcom. Unfortunately, the immensely wealthy cast of the show have no interest in stepping back into character, and they're not going to do it, no matter how much money they're offered, apparently. Read on for details.
As mega-hit Friends continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the six core stars and the creators of the NBC comedy from Warner Bros. TV are in talks to reunite on HBO Max.
Talks are currently underway for an unscripted reunion special that would feature Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, as well as series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman. Sources caution that a deal is far from done and agreements with cast and creatives still need to be hammered out. When and if deals are completed, the challenge then becomes sorting out everyone's schedules. Of course, the talks could fizzle and the whole concept could fall apart.
All six Friends actors are in talks for a one-off unscripted reunion show, according to reports in the UShttps://t.co/LsYYHoBDU6
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 13, 2019
News of a reunion special arrives as Friends has found new audiences at its streaming home on Netflix. The series is officially leaving the streamer at year's end and will make its debut on WarnerMedia-backed HBO Max when that $15 monthly subscription platform launches at a date to be determined. Sources say WarnerMedia paid $85 million per year for five years ($425 million) to reclaim streaming rights to Friends for its own platform. (Netflix, for its part, paid $80 million to $100 million to keep Friends on its service for 2019 and was ultimately outbid by WarnerMedia.)
‘Friends’ Reunion Special in Early Planning Stages at HBO Max https://t.co/U8Ys37EmYQ
— Variety (@Variety) November 13, 2019
Sources note that WarnerMedia Entertainment and direct-to-consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt has been the driving force pushing for the Friends reunion, which would pair well with HBO Max's debut and the comedy's new streaming home. Sources say that the cast is willing to do it is an accomplishment in and of itself.
The cast and creators, for their part, have remained steadfast over the years since the series wrapped its 10-season run that they would not do any sort of scripted revival. NBC staged a mini-Friends reunion in 2016 as part of a special honoring legendary director and producer James Burrows. Five of the six stars — save for Perry — participated in the look back that also featured the casts of Will & Grace, Cheers and The Big Bang Theory.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Would you subscribe to HBO Max for an unscripted Friends reunion? Let us know in the comments below.