Blame it on the pandemic.
The much-anticipated unscripted “Friends” reunion on HBO Max, starring the popular sitcom cast, has had to postpone production, reports Variety.
It’s unknown when filming will resume.
Initially, the show was schedule to film in March before a live audience. With COVID-19 raging, those plans were eliminated. Then WarnerMedia, which owns HBO Max, said it was hopeful shooting could resume at the end of August.
But fears of a second wave and spikes in California put that idea to rest.
In May, when the second date was announced, Bob Greenbatt, Warner Media’s Entertainment and D2C chairman, said: “We do think there’s a value to having a big, raucous live audience to experience these six great friends coming back together and we didn’t want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms.”
The plan was to film on Stage 24, the original “Friends” soundstage.
The cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
“Friends” proved a hit for Netflix, before its $400 million sale to WarnerMedia.