‘Friends’ the movie? Guys, let’s be serious

A feature film based on the long-running American TV series Friends - repeats of which remain a cable television staple worldwide - is in the pipeline, according to a bit-part actor in the series. James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, manager of the Central Perk café on whose sofa a lot of the action took place, told the News of the World that Friends: The Movie was definitely happening.

According to Tyler, Warner Bros have watched the Sex and the City film rake in the dollars - more than $400m at the last count - and decided to follow suit. He said: "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."

Industry insiders contacted by The First Post are less certain. Given how long it took to get the four SATC girls to sign on the dotted line for a feature film - some of them were barely talking, which didn't help - a deal to sign up all six lead actors from Friends could take some considerable time.

Not least because while some of the actors could do with the work, others have moved on and are likely to demand huge fees to pick up their roles again.

The most successful Friends alumni are Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) and David Schwimmer (Ross). She's been a hit in a number of films, including Along Came Polly and Marley and Me. Schwimmer has taken to the stage, on Broadway and in the West End.

Courtney Cox (Monica) and Matthew Perry (Chandler) have enjoyed some success too: Perry starred in a short-lived TV series, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, but did better in the film 17 Again. Cox struggled for a while - she lost out to Teri Hatcher for the part of Susan in Desperate Housewives - but now finds herself starring in the new ABC comedy about man-eating older women, Cougar Town.

Which leaves two who could probably do with the work: Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) and Matt LeBlanc (Joey). Kudrow did reasonably well with the HBO comedy, The Comeback, before becoming an executive producer on the American version of Who Do You Think You Are, which is fine but hardly a solution for a comic actress. As for LeBlanc, he tried his damnedest to keep his character alive in a spin-off series, but it was cancelled after two miserable seasons.

For Joey and Gunther, Friends: The Movie would be a godsend. It doesn't mean it will happen.