‘It’s happening!’: The Friends cast confirms a reunion is taking place

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 by Mark Seliger that ran in Rolling Stone in the Nineties. The caption was brief and to the point: ‘It’s happening.’ They also tagged HBO Max making to clear where the special would air.

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; image by Mark Seliger

The series aired from 1994 until 2004 and has been winning younger fans thanks to Netflix. Now the re-runs will be available on HBO Max after the streaming service secured the rights. 

HBO Max also confirmed the news on social media. ‘The one where they got back together,’ it was stated with the note, ‘The Friends cast set to reunite for exclusive HBO Max special.’ 

‘Guess you could call this the one where they all got back together — we are reuniting with David, Jennifer, Courteney, Matt, Lisa, and Matthew for an HBO Max special that will be programmed alongside the entire Friends library,’ said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer at HBO Max and president of TBS, TNT, and truTV, in a statement shared on Friday.

‘I became aware of Friends when it was in the very early stages of development and then had the opportunity to work on the series many years later and have delighted in seeing it catch on with viewers generation after generation. 

‘It taps into an era when friends – and audiences – gathered together in real time and we think this reunion special will capture that spirit, uniting original and new fans.’

Ben Winston will direct the special and executive produce alongside Friends executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, Variety confirmed. 

It's really official! HBO Max also sent out a note on social media where they stated the friends cast will 'reunite'

It’s really official! HBO Max also sent out a note on social media where they stated the friends cast will ‘reunite’

Back for more: The series aired from 1994 until 2004 and has been winning younger fans thanks to Netflix. For months there has been speculation the cast would work with HBO Max on a reunion special

Back for more: The series aired from 1994 until 2004 and has been winning younger fans thanks to Netflix. For months there has been speculation the cast would work with HBO Max on a reunion special

Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer are also executive producing the special. Emma Conway and James Longman are on board as co-executive producers.

For months there has been speculation the cast would work with HBO Max, which will launch in May, on a reunion special. 

And last week 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 used humor to dodge the question of whether there will be some sort of Friends reunion show

Fanning the flames: Matthew Perry sent Friends fans into a reunion frenzy when he announced: 'Big news coming..., ' last week on Twitter

Comic relief: Last week, 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 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'

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

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 was also word that each of them could earn between $2.25 million and $2.5 million for the show, something Variety also claimed on Friday after the deal was confirmed. 

Friends for life: Aniston marked the occasion when all six Friends castmembers officially became Instagram friends in October 2019 with this photo

Friends for life: Aniston marked the occasion when all six Friends castmembers officially became Instagram friends in October 2019 with this photo

The special 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

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

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