Fans have to wait much longer after HBO Max has confirmed that the production of the Friends reunion special has been delayed further due to the coronavirus pandemic. If the health crisis continues to halt television and film production until the end of summer, the filming of the much-awaited special might turn into a virtual reunion. 

Friends lead stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer will share the screen once again for an unscripted reunion. The special was originally scheduled to premiere on the launch of HBO Max on May 27. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it got delayed. 

WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt announced recently that they are hoping to start filming the the special by the end of summer. Greenblatt said the last thing they would like to do is forego the live audience and turn the special into a web call of the six cast members. 

However, they are not discounting this possibility. He said if the current stay-at-home conditions continue indefinitely, they may opt for a virtual reunion featuring Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer. 

"[The reunion] may go more to a virtual route, if it is delayed too long...But at the moment, we're trying to look to the future and get this thing done in a more conventional way, and I think it's worth waiting for," Greenblatt said. 

The Friends reunion special was originally scheduled to begin production in March. During Cox's appearance in Jimmy Kimmel Live in late March, she revealed that they were supposed to film for two days but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The reunion was set to film on Stage 24, the original Friends soundstage on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank. It will mark the first time that all six stars are reunited in front of the cameras, more than a decade after the NBC sitcom ended. A partial reunion took place in 2016 but without Perry.

Friends had a 10-year run. It premiered in September 1994 and wrapped up in May 2004. After years of anticipation for the reunion, it was finally confirmed in February that fans would be able to see their favorite gang again back in the studio where they filmed the original series.

All six lead stars would also serve as executive producers of the special. It was also reported that they would receive at least $2.5 million each for the unscripted reunion. All 10 seasons of Friends will also, reportedly, be available to stream on HBO Max.