Friends reunited: Stars of hit TV sitcom to make movie version



The cast of Friends are to be reunited once again – for a movie version of the hit TV show, it emerged today.

The six main stars have agreed to move onto the big screen following the success of the Sex And The City film at the box office.

It means Jennifer Aniston, 40, Courteney Cox, 45, Lisa Kudrow, 46, Matt LeBlanc, 42, Matthew Perry, 40, and David Schwimmer, 42, will be back on the same set for the first time since the show ended in 2004.

They're back: Friends stars will be reunited after the last episode in 2004 (above)

Studio bosses from Warner Brothers are prepared to pay a fortune to the stars, who were being paid six figures an episode by the tenth and final season of Friends, which pulled in 10million UK viewers.



They have also drafted in the show’s creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman to write and produce the film, due in cinemas in the summer of 2011.

James Michael Tyler, who played Central Perk coffee shop oddball Gunther, confirmed: ‘Friends: The Movie is definitely on. I still keep in touch with a lot of the cast and they say that they are really keen.’

A movie source told the News of the World: ‘The cast haven’t set the world alight since the show finished.

‘But this film could relight some of their flagging careers in a big way.

‘But everyone knew the story had to be right and well written. Getting the creators on board was a massive step forward for the project.

Heyday in 1994: (Clockwise from left) Matt Le Blanc as Joey, Lisa Kudrow as Pheobe, David Schwimmer as Ross, Matthew Perry as Chandler, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, and Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica in the iconic apartment

‘The show did lose a lot of its shine in the last few seasons, but with the actors all in the forties it would be a real interest to see how their characters have developed.’

The film comes in the wake of the big screen version of Sex And The City which took an astonishing $408,921,925 at the box office.

But, although the cast have always made no secret about a desire to do a film, some have cast doubts about its viability.

Miss Kudrow has said: ‘It would be so fun to be with all those people again.

‘But our show was not like Sex and the City - ours was multi-camera, in front of a live audience.

‘It’s a completely different feel. You’d have to bring the tone down, and I don’t know how it would be. I’ll just stay open.’



Success to follow: Sex And The City: The Movie made $409m at the box office

Meanwhile actor Mr Tyler, 47, who is in London for the launch of a Central Perk themed coffee shop in Soho, is keen to reprise his role as Gunther on the big screen.

He said: ‘The one thing I can tell you is that I am definitely on board to do the film.

‘I really loved my time on the show and I am looking forward to meeting up with the old gang again.

‘I just hope we can do justice to the show in a film.’

What are they doing now?



DAVID SCHWIMMER (Ross Geller) has had the biggest critical success with a range of theatrical roles including the play Some Girl(s) in London alongside Catherine Tate. He also directed 2007 British film Run Fatboy Run.

JENNIFER ANISTON (Rachel Green) has had lead roles in commercially successful films such as Bruce Almighty, Along Came Polly and Marley and Me.

COURTENEY COX (Monica Geller) missed out on a role in hit TV series Desperate Housewives and has been relatively obscure ever since. She was in U.S. TV drama Dirt - cancelled after two series. She is now set to act in horror film Scream 4.

LISA KUDROW (Phoebe Buffay) had a hit after the show finished with HBO sitcom The Comeback and is now an executive producer on the US version of Who Do You Think You Are?

MATT LEBLANC (Joey Tribbiani) has barely been seen on screens (big and small) since leaving Friends. He starred in spinoff comedy Joey, but it was cancelled after just two seasons.

MATTHEW PERRY (Chandler Bing) starred in recent TV show Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, written by the West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin. It was cancelled after just a single season. He also played the older Zac Efron in this year’s film 17 Again.



