Sex and the City reboot: HBO boss hints at how Kim Cattrall’s absence will be addressed

Revival of series comes after years-long feud between Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker

Kim Cattrall’s absence from the Sex and the City reboot has been widely reported – but until now it has not been revealed how her character, Samantha, will be written out.

The forthcoming 10-episode reboot, titled And Just Like That…, will see Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie, Cynthia Nixon's Miranda and Kristin Davis' Charlotte all reunite more than a decade after the last film.

Cattrall, who quit the role of Samantha in 2017 and publicly hit out at Parker in 2018, will not take part in the series.

In a new interview, HBO boss Casey Bloys has hinted at how Samantha’s absence will be dealt with. “Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave,” he told TVLine. “Friendships fade, and new friendships start. So I think it is all very indicative of the real stages, the actual stages of life.”

Bloys added: “They're trying to tell an honest story about being a woman in her 50s in New York. So it should all feel somewhat organic, and the friends that you have when you're 30, you may not have when you're 50.”

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Cattrall has long distanced herself from the role of Samantha, declaring in 2017 that she had moved on from the character. She also said that Parker “could have been nicer” about her refusal to take part in a third Sex and the City movie.

Cattrall went further in February 2018, following the death of her brother Chris. After Parker wrote a comment of condolence on Cattrall’s Instagram, Cattrall called her “cruel” and posted a photo of a message that read: “I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker.”

Parker recently addressed speculation over Cattrall’s absence from reboot reboot, declaring, “I don’t dislike her.”