Image Source: Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Vogue

Sex and the City have essentially become a cultural phenomenon that so many people loved watching and wanted to experience more of it. The production team of the film was in talks about a third film in the franchise, and while there was not much ready for production a few years ago, Kim Cattrall pulling back from the franchise meant there was no hope for a third Sex and the City film. 

"The idea of the movie was really strong, and there was interest. And then all of a sudden it was impossible to get all four ladies to participate: Kim didn’t want to do the movie," shared Michael Patrick King. "Kim had finished playing Samantha, and despite conversations back and forth, she just said, “Yeah, I don’t want to do this.” So she pulled out, and I thought, “Well, then there’s no movie.”

Though the writer admitted that the actress refusing to play the part was a 'disappointing' turn of events, he realized that in the bigger picture, he does not hold the power to 'make an actress play a part.' All he had was an "idea of the movie was born because I loved writing these characters, and I thought that they were still alive somewhere in my mind."

"So it wasn’t like, “Let’s make another blockbuster, woo, let’s try to top ourselves!” It was really, “I love these characters," he revealed. "I had the idea that Mr. Big would die — that was the movie. And I’m so thrilled it didn’t happen in the movie because I wouldn’t have been able to explore the journey for Carrie."

In the end, King decided to go for an HBO Max series where he 'approached' all the original actors featured in the film. Sarah Jessica Parker agreed to the series right away as the idea appealed to her, and she wanted to explore the 'great challenge' that the series could become for the team.

"With HBO Max and HBO — Casey and Sarah Aubrey and I, and Suzanna Makkos — talked on Zoom with Sarah Jessica," revealed King. "They were very excited but curious and protective. And then when I said, “Mr. Big dies, and Carrie is single again at 55,” it was like, “That’s an idea!”

The writer did not want this novel experience to be termed as 'reboot,' and the vision was shared by the HBO team. And yet introducing a new storyline and characters meant they could bring something new for their audiences. 

He divulged, "When I started talking about that seismic shift in Carrie’s life and started talking about how of course there would be new characters in it to widen out the world, it became very clear that this was something is dangerous and exciting and new — versus someone trying to catch a vibe that was from many years ago for some programming need."

Furthering on how he wanted to expand the character of Carrie, the writer shared that he made her story resonate with the end of the series narration voiceover. "She says the most challenging relationship you have is the one you have with yourself," explained King. "And if you can find someone else to love you, well, that’s fabulous. I always wanted to test Carrie’s relationship with herself, to see if that was literally something that could stand the test of a great tragedy."

Similarly, Miranda also needed to find something for herself in the series. The character became the first one in the series to take the plunge for everything new and try things for better or worse. Whether it is talking dirty or exploring her sexuality, Miranda never shied away from a novel experience. The same thought translated into Miranda having her very own mid-life crisis. 

"So I thought, “OK, what’s sex now?” And it became, “What about gender? What about sexuality?” Look at Cynthia, where she is — where Miranda could be," said King. "Men have a midlife crisis, and it’s expected. They leave their wife. They get a car. Miranda had an incredibly interesting break from her social self."

The character changed her appearance as "she let her red hair go gray." "She quit her corporate job, and she threw herself into improving herself. And what came at her was something bigger. A big force! Life came at her, just the way death came at Carrie," said King.

On the other hand, there is Charlotte, a character always striving towards perfection. Her character arc in the series shows her focused on her relationships, her family, and most importantly, on being a mother. 

She simply formed a bridge to join the contrasting personalities of Miranda and Carrie. King shared, "So the idea of parenting, what’s happening with gender, and knowing that Charlotte had two kids and a very secure love relationship, she was going to be the mother. In between the two radical extremes of where Carrie is and where Miranda is, Charlotte’s the connective tissue between all the families."

The first reading of the script was a very exciting experience for both the original and the new cast members of the series. The team came together for an in-person reading since the pandemic and it was amazing for the new actors to sit along with the OG forerunners of the franchise. 

The first the writer wanted to get clear of as the series started was where Samantha was. "The very first thing I wanted to address was them in a crowd, and to reference the pandemic: “Remember when we had to stand six feet apart?” But I had to get Samantha out of the way immediately," he revealed, "So Bitsy von Muffling was invented to ask the question that was on everybody’s minds: “Where’s Samantha?”

He built an edge with the question that would soon help put the audience at ease. "I had them have this awkward moment that created a mirror of tension about what everybody was feeling about it — in the world, not necessarily in the three actresses — which is, “Oh, she’s no longer with us.” And then, “She moved to London,” in a very television way."

And Just Like That has a lot more story to explore; Credits: Variety

"It was a big day for me as a writer when I realized that even though Kim Cattrall didn’t want to be in the series, Samantha could be — because of texting. I was like, “Right! Samantha can be in the show.” Because she should be: She’s part of the show and people love her," gushed the writer. "And I wanted to respect the legacy, wanted to respect the fans," he finished.