The real story behind why Kim Cattrall will not be in SATC's reboot: And Just Like That...

Almost 24 years ago, Sex And The City premiered, capturing the world's attention. 

The show was pretty groundbreaking for its time, and the hope is that Sex And The City's reboot And Just Like That... will be the same.

But with confirmation the one and only Samantha (and her iconic sexcapades) will not be a part of the reboot, many have been left scratching their heads wondering what the hell happened!

Rumours have often suggested there is a rift between co-stars Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP). But it wasn't until recently that those rumours became absolute fact.

Here's everything we know about why Kim Cattrall, aka Samantha Jones, won't be returning to the Sex And The City franchise. 

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The estranged friendship between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker.

From reports, it appears that things were never exactly peachy between Cattrall and SJP. 

In 2017, Cattrall did an interview with Piers Morgan, noting that she and SJP were colleagues, never friends. 

"The common ground that we had was the series, and the series is over. Sarah Jessica, she could have been nicer ... I don’t know what her issue is. I never have," Cattrall said.

Sex And The City. Image: Getty. Despite this, the very public final nail in the coffin for Cattrall and SJP was actually when Cattrall announced via Instagram that her brother had died.

Days later, the actress thanked her fans and colleagues for sending her family support and sympathies. Except there was one colleague in particular that Cattrall was not happy to have heard from: SJP.

Cattrall once again took to Instagram with a post saying "I don't need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker."

She continued: "Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven't already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona."

People sources revealed at the time that SJP had both publicly and privately sent her condolences to Cattrall.

When asked about the estranged relationship on Watch What Happens Live, SJP told host Andy Cohen she was "heartbroken".

"I found it very upsetting because that's not the way I recall our experience. I always think what ties us together is this experience: it was a professional experience, but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives."

Listen to Mamamia Out Loud: Sex And The City: The show that changed everything. Post continues after audio.

In response to the interview Cattrall did with Piers Morgan, SJP clarified to People that from her perspective, she had never fought with Cattrall. 

"I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part. So there was no fight: it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded. And I won't, because she needed to say what she needed to say, and that is her privilege," SJP said. 

Cattrall alleges Sex And The City filming was a "toxic" work environment.

The New York Post published an article in 2017, titled: 'Inside the mean girl's culture that destroyed Sex And The City.'

When Sex And The City first premiered, Cattrall was arguably the 'biggest star' out of the group. 

The Post alleges that "a clique began to form" between SJP, Davis and Nixon, "leaving Cattrall out in the cold".

Executive producer Michael Patrick King spoke about this on the Origins podcast in 2018.

He said: "As the show progressed, the characters, everybody grew: it became a family. Kristin, Cynthia and Sarah Jessica became one group, and Kim never joined mentally. Kristin and Cynthia went in the light."

There have often been rumours surrounding Cattrall, suggesting she was a "diva", "demanding" or "money-hungry": all of which Cattrall strongly condemns. 

"The only DEMAND I ever made was that I didn't want to do a third film," Cattrall tweeted at the time. 

"The answer was always no. I never asked for any money, I never asked for any projects. To be thought of as some kind of diva is ridiculous."

Most of the "money-hungry" rumours centred around the fact that SJP was paid the most out of all the cast members. It has been reported that for the second film, Cattrall received $10 million, and SJP received $20 million. 

One of Cattrall's friends said to the Post: "There was a disparity between what Sarah got and what the other girls got. Everyone loved Kim’s character, people related to her — and [Kim’s] salary wasn’t showing that."

Sex And The City. Image: Getty.  Sex And The City costars weigh in on the 'feud':

Fellow Sex And The City ladies Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon have always kept pretty quiet about the alleged feud between Cattrall and SJP. 

One of the few people to come out and share their take is Jason Lewis.

Lewis played Samantha's actor boyfriend Smith Jerrod, and he alluded to KTLA that he's on the 'side' of SJP.

"Listen, I have to say that Sarah was always just so lovely and such a consummate professional and I think that people should remember their graciousness and the things that have been given to them," he said. "And I'm going to stop there. Because I've got nothing good to say."

Just this week while doing press tours for And Just Like That... Chris Noth, aka Mr Big, spoke about his confusion over the rift between Cattrall and SJP.

Speaking to The Guardian, Noth said he feels "very protective" over his on-screen wife.

Noth shared that he liked working with Cattrall, and thought "she was marvellous on the show".

"Some people move on for their own reasons. I don’t know what hers were. I just wish that whole thing had never happened because it was sad and uncomfortable."

Noth continued: "I have to tell you, I have absolutely no idea what [Cattrall's] thinking is, or her emotions. I do know that I'm very close with SJ and [Cattrall's] descriptions of her don't even come close."

Ultimately, there is a lot of 'she said' versus 'she said' when it comes to this case between Cattrall and SJP. But what we do know for certain is that Samantha does not have a foreseeable future in either Sex And The City or its reboot.

Producers have confirmed they haven't killed off Samantha, rather she has made a new life for herself in London, after having a "falling out with Carrie..." 

Ironic much?

The first two episodes of And Just Like That... premiere on Binge on Thursday, December 9, with new episodes dropping weekly after that.

Feature Image: Getty/Binge.