Shooting of 'Friends' reunion delayed due to Covid-19, the special will miss HBO Max launch date

The unscripted episode was set to be shot in March at the iconic Stage 24 of the Warner Bros Studio lot.

Agencies
The special had been set to debut with the launch of the streaming service in May.
LOS ANGELES: The much-awaited 'Friends' reunion special will not be ready before the launch of Warner Media's upcoming streaming service, HBO Max.

The special had been set to debut with the launch of the streaming service in May.

According to Variety, the special episode has not been able to shoot due to the coronavirus pandemic which has put a stop on all the filming activity in Hollywood.


The unscripted episode was set to be shot in March at the iconic Stage 24 of the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank, where the original NBC series was filmed.

The studio had later decided to shoot the special in May just before the streaming service's launch but that is also unlikely to happen.

Many shows -- scripted, late-night, daytime and syndicated, among others -- have been shut down as the world started to self-quarantine and employ social distancing.
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All six original cast members -- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer -- are set to come together for the reunion.

Ben Winston will direct and executive produce alongside 'Friends' creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman and Kevin Bright.

The coronavirus outbreak has killed over 100,000 and infected close to 1.7 million till date.
Prince Andrew And His Dodgy Friendships With Epstein, Gaddafi's Son & Kazakh Billionaire
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The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has found himself in hot water over his friendships with dictators, fixers, and even a convicted paedophile.



Known for dating models and actresses, Britain’s Prince Andrew, who had earned himself the nickname “party prince”, is in trouble over links to the now deceased American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of paedophilia. It would be far from the first time the 59-year-old has courted controversy. In the past, the Duke of York, eighth in line to the crown, has made headlines, mostly for some dodgy friendships.



(Image: AP)

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has found himself in hot water over his friendships with dictators, fixers, and even a convicted paedophile.Known for dating models and actresses, Britain’s Prince An..
Read More
Saif, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi and once seen as the heir apparent to the Libyan dictator, was the suave, English-speaking, reformist face of the Libyan regime. However, following the revolution in 2011, he was also being accused of using lethal force on protesters, torture, enslavement and crimes against humanity. He was also allegedly friends with Prince Andrew. And though the royal family denied this as being the case, a report in Daily Mail quoted sources as saying that the Prince met Gaddafi in Libya in 2008, and privately on two other occasions. The scandal broke in 2011, just as the royal family was preparing for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and there were talks that Andrew’s links to Gaddafi — and a string of other notorious Middle East tycoons — might result in him being stripped of his title and duties.

(Image: http://ronpaulinstitute.org)
Saif, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi and once seen as the heir apparent to the Libyan dictator, was the suave, English-speaking, reformist face of the Libyan regime. However, following the revolut..
Read More
Among the Duke of York’s responsibilities was to be UK’s trade representative, and Andrew exploited this luxury travel to a point that he was called ‘Air Miles Andrew’ in the media. Among the many people he met was the Azerbaijan president who was accused of several human rights violations. These meetings included a formal lunch at the Buckingham Palace and four meetings at the annual Davos forum. Andrew also visited Baku just weeks after a highly disputed election in 2010. There were also talks that he may have business interests in the oil-rich country, including a golf resort off the Caspian Sea, although the palace denied these reports.

(Image: Reuters)
Among the Duke of York’s responsibilities was to be UK’s trade representative, and Andrew exploited this luxury travel to a point that he was called ‘Air Miles Andrew’ in the media. Among the many pe..
Read More
In 2007, Andrew sold his house, valued at 12 million pounds, for 15 million pounds. Good business? Maybe, but at the same time as the sale, the Prince was also representing British businesses in Kazakhstan. And the person who happened to purchase his house was Kazakh businessman Timur Kulibayev. In fact, reports in the media even said Andrew went goose hunting with Kulibayev’s father-in-law, then Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The reports said Andrew’s role was to act as a “fixer” in a business deal, and he stood to make nearly four million pounds for his efforts.

(Image: https://olympic.kz)
In 2007, Andrew sold his house, valued at 12 million pounds, for 15 million pounds. Good business? Maybe, but at the same time as the sale, the Prince was also representing British businesses in Kaza..
Read More
None of these friendships were as damaging to Andrew as his relationship with businessman financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew said he met Epstein for the first time in 1999 through the latter’s girlfriend, whom he had known since university. The two vacationed together in the Caribbean, while Epstein was also a guest at a party hosted by the Queen. Andrew told the BBC recently that he saw Epstein three times a year. He also admitted that it was wrong of him to stay at Epstein’s house in 2010, but didn’t regret their entire friendship.

Epstein was accused of paying minor girls to perform sex acts at his mansion. He spent 13 months in prison for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and was also charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy. He would have been sentenced to 45 years in prison if convicted, but he killed himself in July this year.

(Image: AP)
None of these friendships were as damaging to Andrew as his relationship with businessman financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew said he met Epstein for the first time in 1999 through the latter’s girlfr..
Read More

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