Sex and the City Movie a Big Deal

Thu., Jul. 5, 2007 7:45 AM PDT by Gina Serpe

For the Manolo minions this news is downright orgasmic: Sex and the City is coming back.

After three years of near-incessant rumblings that Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York and Samantha Jones would rendezvous for one more round of cosmos, E! News has confirmed that HBO and New Line Cinema have teamed up to finally give the girls the big-screen sendoff (or, possibly, rebirth) fans have been waiting for.

Sources say that production on the long-gestating, headline-grabbing movie version will begin early this fall with all four leading ladies—Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall—set to reprise their iconic roles.

New Line's offices are closed for the Independence Day holiday, but an official announcement is expected next week.

Cattrall's official announcement, however, came Thursday.

"I really am so flattered because I feel that people actually do miss the show and the characters," she told London's Heart Radio. "I thought that the series really ended so well and to reopen it it would have to be a great script. As with any project that you do it really starts and ends with the script, you've got to ask the questions: Who are the characters? Where will they go? What will their journey be? Will people be interested?"

On the last question, at least, the answer is a resounding yes.

A Sex and the City film has been rumored since 2004, when in her flurry of exit interviews, Parker assuaged fan fears with none-too-subtle hints that the HBO zeitgeist show's series finale wouldn't mean the last of the fab foursome.

But as anticipation grew, so too apparently did Cattrall's demands. In 2005, when the other three actresses were all locked in to the project, Cattrall reportedly held out for a payday on par with Parker's, whose salary was greater than her costars due to her added role as executive producer.

After more tabloid-ready reports of infighting between the women surfaced, along with rumors that Cattrall was also seeking script approval, the project stalled and plans for the film seemed irreparable.

Earlier this year, however, both Parker and Cattrall gave new hope to Sex addicts.

While out promoting her new clothing line, Bitten, Parker fielded the inevitable questions about a big-screen reunion.

"Never say never," she said. "It was such a great show, it would be fantastic to go back."

The Emmy winner also put the kibosh on speculation that a supposed rift between costars scuttled the Sex and the City movie. "It is a very complicated puzzle to put back," she said, "but not for the reason that people speculate about, because as far as I know, all of the actresses want to be together again for this movie."

Cattrall chimed in that she had not ruled out reprising her man-devouring role.

"With regard to a movie, I really can't say," she said. "There is a lot of speculation but, just put it this way, I don't want to jinx anything."

When the show ended its HBO run in 2004, each of the women wound up paired off with her beau: Carrie with Mr. Big, Miranda with Steve, Charlotte with Harry and Samantha with Smith. While no deals have been inked to bring the menfolk back, negotiations for supporting players are expected to begin closer to the production date, with Chris Noth expected to reprise his Big role.

Details of the script are being kept under tight wraps, although it's unlikely the film will pick up immediately where the series left off, if for no other reason than the slight aging of the actresses.

Longtime executive producer Michael Patrick King has already written the film and will also serve as director. King will also produce the pic alongside Parker, series producer John Melfi and series creator Darren Star.