All-Black 'Friends' Cast: Gabrielle Union to Host Table-Read of Iconic Show Reimagined
The one where Gabrielle Union is hosting a table-read of the hit 90s sitcom "Friends."
This coronavirus pandemic, celebrity script readings have become the fad. It's because these actors can't create new content. After all, they can't share the same space.
What people like to watch these days are all-star casts reading a movie script or a TV episode live on Zoom, whether for charity or for fun. Though it still wouldn't be the same as a typical sitcom or movie, it's still something.
Gabrielle Union's plan will be the next level in terms of table-read. They call it "The One With the Diverse Cast."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dwayne Wade's missus is organizing an all-black cast to read one of "Friends" most iconic episodes, "The One Where No One's Ready" from the third season.
The six lead characters will be read by Sterling K. Brown, Uzo Aduba, Ryan Bathe, Aisha Hinds, Kendrick Sampson, and Jeremy Pope.
Brown will play Ross, Aduba as Phoebe, Sampson as Joey, Bathe as Rachel, Pop as Chandler, and Hinds as Monica.
Deadline said that the hourlong "Zoom Where it Happens" event will start at 6 pm ET on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield is set to direct.
Like many virtual table-reads in the past month since the coronavirus pandemic, this "Friends" reading will raise awareness for charity.
According to reports, Gabrielle Union chose "When We All Vote," a non-partisan voter registration organization co-chaired by the former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Its mission is to change the culture around voting by bringing together brands, organizations, institutions, and citizens to increase participation in every election.
But this wasn't the first time there has been a reimagined all-Black "Friends" cast.
In 2017, Jay-Z cast Jerrod Carmichael, Issa Rae, Tiffany Haddish, Tessa Thompson, LaKeith Stanfield, and Lil Rel Howery.
The 7-minute video of "Moonlight" is available to stream on Tidal and YouTube.
But according to critics, Jay-Z didn't remake "Friends" just for laughs. The choice seemed to be deliberate and poignant, considering that at that time, the stars who were part of the all-black sitcom "Living Single" have complained that their show didn't get the promotional support that the all-white "Friends" did.
The original friends, which aired from 1994-2004, starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry.
The Long-Awaited "Friends" Reunion
Last year, it was announced that there would be an unscripted "Friends" reunion special for HBO Max.
It was initially slated to film in mid-March, but then the coronavirus outbreak happened. It was then pushed to May. But with the entire world in the grips of the pandemic, the production was once again postponed. HBO Max still doesn't know when it will debut.
In April, the original stars of "Friends" even auctioned six tickets to the taping, with the funds earned will go to COVID relief.
The "Friends" special is said to have been designed to join all 236 episodes of the award-winning NBC series.
All six characters are slated to return to the comedy's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank.
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