Cameras will finally start rolling for the "Friends" reunion special following a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Martha Kauffman, who co-created the hit Fox sitcom with David Crane, confirmed that filming is set to begin in the middle of or late in August. That is, given that everything is in place in terms of safety measures amid the pandemic.

"We are hoping to be able to shoot in August, if all is well and there is no early second wave and the studio is open," Kauffman told The Wrap.

"If everything is in place and we understand all the protocols and we can still make a good show, we'll be shooting it some time, mid-to-late August," she added.

The "Friends" reunion special is said to be an unscripted event that will bring back the original cast including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc. Kauffman clarified this previous announcement from HBO Max and said that the special will have "ways of looking at this that doesn't just feel like a mini-doc." She added that it will also include "components that are fresh and new."

Warner Media Entertainment and direct-to-consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt said in an interview in May that filming could take place at the end of Summer 2020. He had expressed his hope that the delay would only last for two months at most.

"We're holding out for being able to get this special done hopefully by the end of the summer if the stars align and hopefully we can get back into production," he said. He also shunned the idea of filming a virtual reunion: "We do think there's a value to having a big, raucous live audience to experience these six great friends coming back together and we didn't want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms."

The "Friends" reunion special was supposedly set to air on May 27 along with the launch of HBO Max. Sadly, filming had to be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus the release was put on hold too.

Friends
"Friends" is one of the most successful sitcoms in American television history AFP / Angela Weiss