‘Friends’ Reunion Planned — See Who Plans To ‘Be There For You’
While fans of the 1990’s sitcom Friends are finally getting a special reunion, only five of the cast members have repeated the lines from the hit show’s theme song by telling NBC “I’ll be there for you.”
That’s the latest news from Entertainment Weekly as one Friends cast member declined the invitation for a reunion as a part of the February 2 special to honor comedy director James Burrows.
#Friends "reunion" update: One Friend not coming: https://t.co/mm7mGAy92d pic.twitter.com/s1diNXRAmC
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 14, 2016
The cast member skipping the reunion opportunity is Matthew Perry — better known to Friends aficionados as Chandler Bing. Currently in London preparing for his role in the play The End of Longing, Perry is still believed to be contributing in some form for the special.
The announcement that a Friends reunion was on tap came from NBC’s Robert Greenblatt during the a discussion with reporters recently. Even as he announced the special event, Greenblatt admitted that getting the entire Friends cast for the reunion was a challenging task, Vanity Fair reported.
“I’m hoping all six will be in the same room at same time. I’m not sure we can logistically pull it off.”
Perry’s representative Lisa Kasteler refuted Greenblatt’s claim for a full Friends reunion almost immediately, saying that the NBC executive knew that Matthew could not attend the event.
“NBC executives were aware of this prior to their TCA announcement yesterday… Matthew may tape something for the tribute. In other words, this is not the reunion people have been hoping for.”
Could the lack of a wedding invitation be the blame? Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston tied the knot in a secret wedding in 2015, but not all of the Friends cast was invited to celebrate the event. Both Perry and Matt LeBlanc were left off the guest list. “I wasn’t invited,” Perry said after learning about the event. “So what can you do?”
LeBlanc expressed similar feelings about the invitation – and potential reunion – snub. “If she wanted me there, I would have been there,” he added. Despite the invitation oversight, both actors went on to congratulate Jen and Justin.
While Matthew Perry may not be on-board for a full-blown Friends reunion, the lack of one cast member hasn’t kept others from being excited to revisit their famous roles, Metro reported. Matt LeBlanc tweeted a link to an E! Online story about the Friends reunion, and Lisa Kudrow retweeted the former co-star’s message.
As close to a Friends reunion as fans have had since the show ended occurred in 2014 when Jimmy Kimmel Live! hosted a mini-version with female stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox. The sketch comedy drew laughs, but left fans yearning for more.
The remainder of the Friends cast appears set to reunite in the near future. The cast members who appear set for the reunion include David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, and Perry.
News of the future Friends reunion has sent fans into a tizzy awaiting a glimpse of the actors portraying their famous roles. One such writer at Movie Pilot penned four ways that the characters may have changed over the 12 years since the last episode aired.
ICYMI: A Friends reunion is FINALLY happening—and fans are losing it https://t.co/NMoOpi9NN1 pic.twitter.com/NxJq5FR7Hg
— People (@people) January 14, 2016
The most stunning revelation from the article was that the actresses who portrayed Emma – Noelle and Cali Sheldon – are 14 years old now. The twins are normal seventh-graders, but they admit to having never seen the show at their parents’ discretion, Entertainment Tonight reported.
A Friends reunion isn’t the only fan-favorite show making a comeback in 2016. The early 90’s saw the end to Full House, a show that Netflix is rebooting this March in a series called Fuller House, The Inquisitr previously reported.
What do you think about a Friends reunion with one of the key cast members? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
[Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images]
