‘Sex and the City’ Author Candace Bushnell Doesn’t Care Samantha Won’t Be in Reboot

The upcoming “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That,” headed for HBO Max this December, notoriously will not feature Kim Cattrall’s Samantha Jones. The actress has long been vocal about never wanting to return to Darren Star’s beloved franchise, which also spawned two movies, and now the new version headed to HBO Max has to get creative about how it will explain the fan-favorite character’s absence. (HBO Max CCO Casey Bloys had some thoughts on that matter earlier.)

In a new interview in The Daily Beast author Candace Bushnell, whose New York Observer column inspired the original HBO series, has revealed she doesn’t care that Samantha will not be part of the show. The fan-favorite won’t be joining the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis in reprising her beloved role.

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“This is an entertainment product,” she said. “All of these shows have their own interior logic and their own rules. This is a show that Michael Patrick King is doing and he’s very skilled at doing these kinds of TV shows. He’s going to do what he feels is right for the show and I totally respect that.”

New to the cast are Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury, Karen Pittman, and Sara Ramirez, bringing fresh faces to the series and also providing a new set of characters as the girls grapple with life in the city in their 50s.

“Honestly, I really don’t understand that kind of fandom where people are like, ‘Oh my God [Samantha’s gone],’ it’s so anathema to me,” Bushnell continued. “I don’t have that personality, so I don’t actually even understand it. I don’t understand why people are even interested in celebrities. It mystifies me.”

Bushnell said she’s more interested in how the series looks at the ways women’s stances toward dating have changed over time.

“We’ve seen over the years that if you really give up a lot for a man you can end up with nothing. We live in different times, where even 15 years ago the world wasn’t set up for single people. You couldn’t really operate as a single person. These days make it so much easier — you don’t have to be in a group, and you don’t have to be a part of a family unit to survive,” she said.

“What’s interesting to me is that you know there are quite a few people, if they don’t have to be in that kind of intense relationship, they’re fine being single or seeing somebody some of the time.”

“And Just Like That” premieres on HBO Max in December.

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