The Friends reunion is a go, it was shared on Friday afternoon.
The cast members – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc – all took to Instagram at the same time to share the good news with their fans.
The image was of the cast from an old photo shoot that ran in Rolling Stone in the Nineties. The caption was brief and to the point: ‘It’s happening.’
Happy news! The Friends reunion is a go, it was shared on Friday afternoon. The cast members – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc – took to Instagram to share the good news with their fans
For months there has been speculation the cast would work with HBO Max on a reunion special.
And talk was ramped up last week when Perry all but confirmed the rumors when he tweeted out: ‘Big news coming…’
Then Schwimmer was put on the spot about whether the famed characters – Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, Joey and Chandler – will be back onscreen together in one form or another.
‘First of all, I’m so glad I finally get to answer this question,’ Schwimmer, 53, joked when asked during an an interview with Matt Baker and Alex jones on BBC’s The One Show.
Comic relief: David Schwimmer dodged the question of whether there will be some sort of friends reunion
‘I really wish I could confirm or deny, There’s nothing official to report,’ Schwimmer, 53, added.
Jones pressed even farther on the potential of a reunion show by asking: ‘But maybe?’
In keeping with his, and his Friends character Ross’s penchant for a good one-liner, the actor shot back: ‘Maybe Matthew Perry is pregnant,’ in reference to the ‘big news coming’ tweet.
The spark: Perry sent Friends fanatics into a frenzy with this tweet on February 5
The question! In reference to Perry’s ‘Big new coming… ‘ tweet, Schwimmer responded on BBC’s The One Show by asking: ‘Maybe Matthew Perry is pregnant’
Promotional ploy: Perry was promoting one of his upcoming projects when he posted the ‘Big news coming’ tweet earlier this month
The Wall Street Journal reported that all six of the original castmembers were close to signing a deal for a one-hour special for HBO Max that would be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.
The special would reportedly feature insightful interviews with the cast, rather than a scripted episode.
There’s also word that each of them could earn between $2.25 million and $2.5 million for the show.
Deals are also said to be in the works to have the hit sitcoms creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, take part in the event.
Friends for life: Jennifer Aniston marked the occasion when all six Friends castmembers officially became Instagram friends in October 2019 with this photo
If the special does in fact come to fruition, it will mark the first time the cast will appear together on-screen in about 16 years, although the group have regularly stayed in contact in their personal lives.
Friends first debuted on NBC back in September 1994, and went on to reach the pinnacle of success during its 10 season run that ended in May 2004.
During its run it ranked in the top ten in the television ratings race in all 10 seasons, ultimately hitting number one in its eighth season.
The series finale was watched by 52.5 million viewers in the US, making it the fifth most-watched series finale in television history, and the most-watched television episode of the 2000s decade.
Big bucks: There’s word each of the six original castmembers of Friends could earn between $2.25 million and $2.5 million for a reunion show