MARCEL from Friends — aka Katie the capuchin — has landed a new acting gig.
The beloved animal, who was Ross Geller's sidekick in the early days of the iconic sitcom, will grace screens in the comic book adaptation Y: The Last Man, which will air on FX in 2020.
The role could have gone unnoticed too, if not for FX CEO John Landgraf, who was recently reviewing tapes of the show. Eagle-eyed Landgraf recognized the monkey from his own days as a longtime executive at NBC, the network where Friends was aired from 1994-2004.
"I recognize Jennifer Aniston, I recognize Courteney Cox, and I recognize that monkey!" Landgraf told the bemused audience recently at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
"There's nothing like a really experienced actor who knows how to hit their marks," he joked.
Katie the capuchin notably played Marcel, a male monkey, and for Y: The Last Man she's swapping genders once again.
The monkey's animal trainer confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Katie is indeed starring in the show.
The trainer revealed that Katie is now in her "mid to late 30s" — and that capuchins can live until the age of 40. Ergo, plenty of time left in the limelight.
Katie has reportedly filmed her role in the pilot, which stars Irish actor Barry Keoghan as Yorick Brown, the last surviving man on Earth, who is on a mission to find out why the male population has been wiped out.
Katie will play his primate, Ampersand; the only other male mammal to have survived. Diane Lane, Imogen Poots, Amber Tamblyn, Timothy Hutton and Lashana Lynch will also appear in the hotly-anticipated show.
It's unclear whether Katie will feature throughout the show, or whether she'll be replaced by a CGI version.
However, with Landgraf's approval — "She's still as good," he told a crowd — there is hope.
While Friends fans are delighted at the prospect of seeing Marcel on screens again, the news hasn't thrilled everybody.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) primatologist Julia Gallucci slammed FX.
"In an age when Aladdin and Dumbo have brought monkeys to life with realistic, humane computer-generated imagery, there's no excuse for dragging a live monkey onto the set of Y," her statement released through PETA read.
"We were shocked to see that a real monkey was used in Y," the statement reads.
"As PETA warned FX as well as Y's producer and various showrunners, using monkeys as television props thwarts conservation efforts and promotes exotic-pet ownership, which involves removing baby monkeys from their mothers shortly after birth and raising them in deprived conditions," she also said.
Katie first appeared on Friends (as Ross Geller's pet) in season one in 1994, eventually starring in eight episodes of the New York-based show.
The popular primate went on to have roles on 30 Rock, The Loop, and alongside Ariana Grande in Sam & Cat. According to her IMDB, she is also a mascot for a basketball team in Los Angeles.
Sometimes viewers confuse her with the widely-successful Crystal, who has starred in American Pie, Doctor Dolittle, The Hangover, Night at the Museum and The Big Bang Theory.