Will There Ever Be A “Girlfriends” Movie? Fans Want It, But Here’s What The Beloved Show’s Producer Recently Said About It…

The beloved TV show Girlfriends is a fan classic that continues to be enjoyed almost 20 years after it was unceremoniously taken off the air, prompting outrage from the show’s sea of fans. And ever since it left, fans have been hoping for a reboot, a reunion, and or a movie.

The show originally aired on the network that was known then, in 2000 when it premiered, as UPN. Later, the show became part of the CW lineup. It ran for 8 seasons, with its final episode airng February 11, 2008. The show starred Tracee Ellis Ross, Persia White, Golden Brooks and Jill Marie Jones. Talented actor Reggie Hayes was the unofficial 5th male “girlfriend” on the show.

Girlfriends was replaced in its time slot by The Game, which itself was canceled after 3 seasons but was resurrected twice after its initial cancellation. Both shows were produced by Mara Brock-Akil.

Akil recently spoke to The Breakfast Club about what it would take for her to produce a big screen reunion for the Girlfriends. Brock-Akil said, for starters, she would need a $50 million budget.

“I want to do it. The cast wants to do it, but I believe there is a value on this. And I also know what $50 million will turn over is insane,” Akil, also known for shows like “The Game” and “Being Mary Jane,” explained.

She added, “If I can’t do it the way that I think it deserves, why am I doing it?”

Girlfriends was often compared to the hit 80s NBC show The Golden Girls, but with Black women as the stars, and also drew comparisons to the blockbuster film Waiting To Exhale, where many fans believed Brock-Akil drew some inspiration from.

Girlfriends tackled modern and relevant topics ranging from divorce to single parenting to AIDS to sex with older men–much older men–and lots more. At its core it was about friendship.

Brock-Akil laid out other terms in the interview.

“I need $50 million to get people out of the house. I don’t want you to watch it on a streamer,” she said. “I want to see Joan outfits. I want to see Toni outfits. I want to see Maya outfits. I want to see Lynn outfits. I want to see William suits. I want to see people come out and celebrate something that we’ve been loving for 25 years.”

Host Charlamagne Tha God asked Akil if she would be OK without giving the show the closure fans have been angling for: “Yup…because Mara Brock Akil gave it all,” she said.

For their part, the actresses who played the Girlfriends are on board for a reboot or big screen adaptation.

At a 25th year cast reunion last years, White said, “fingers crossed we get the right funding.” 

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But in 2024, Ellis-Ross admitted she dobted a full-scale reunion would happen on the screen.  “The cast has always wanted to do it, but I’ll be honest with you, the ship has sailed. I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. I think it would be a miracle.”

Here are a few videos featuring the Girlfriends together again: