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Sex and the City's Nicole Ari Parker says new reboot will address race

Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images

Break out the Cosmopolitans and slip on your Manolos – Sex and the City is bringing back our favourite sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw for HBO's revival series And Just Like That.

In the latest teaser trailer for the series, Sarah Jessica Parker has announced that the reboot will arrive in time for Christmas, launching on HBO Max in December. An exact date has yet to be confirmed. Fans in the UK will be hoping that And Just Like That will be landing on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV around the same time, so we'll keep you updated.

The 10-episode series will follow three of the four original main characters — Carrie, Miranda Hobbs and Charlotte York, played by SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis — as they navigate life and relationships in their 50s.

Kim Cattrall won't be returning as publicist Samantha Jones, but her absence will be weaved into the storyline with the addition of an exciting new member, Nicole Ari Parker (as an Instagram post by Sarah Jessica Parker hinted).

The And Just Like That crew will also be joined by a whole host of familiar faces that are sure to get fans incredibly excited, with several cast members being spotted in the recent on-set pics filming in New York.

The original Sex And The City series began filming in 1998 and ended in 2004, based on Candace Bushnell's column of the same name and created by Darren Star. It soon became a cult hit with fans, often described as a love letter to New York and applauded for its fresh and frank portrayal of women in their 30s, navigating relationships, careers. incredible fashion and most importantly... sex.

Here's everything you need to know about And Just Like That, including the brilliant ensemble cast who'll be joining Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda...

And Just Like That: Latest updates

New cast member Nicole Ari Parker has revealed that storylines in the reboot will address race – the original series was criticised for its lack of representation and diversity, particularly as it was set in New York, which is famous for its cultural and ethnic diversity.

'I'm excited to be a part of something that's different for them,' Parker told Variety. 'We can talk about the elephant in the room that there were no fully fleshed-out characters of colour, but now here's the four of us [Sara Ramírez, Sarita Choudhury and Karen Pittman are joining the cast].

'We're real people, and they've been great to work with, and some of our [storylines] deal with race and deal with real experiences. It's New York City!'

Photo credit: Gotham
Photo credit: Gotham

The series will also retain its sexiness and glamour, with Parker adding: 'We're grown-ass women, so we know how to keep it sexy. It's piping hot.'

Meanwhile, while we all know Chris Noth will be returning as Mr Big – and first look footage from the trailer previously suggested that he and Carrie were still very much loved-up – but new photos taken on the And Just Like That set appear to show Carrie with a brand new love interest...

Pictures of SJP's Carrie kissing actor Jon Tenney on set outside her iconic New York apartment have emerged, hinting the long-time couple may be 'off' again. We can't wait to find out more.

Photo credit: Raymond Hall - Getty Images
Photo credit: Raymond Hall - Getty Images

And Just Like That: The trailer

In the latest trailer, Sarah Jessica Parker – speaking to camera from the show's set on Fifth Avenue in New York – has announced that the series will launch on HBO Max in December.

An exact date has yet to be revealed. A British network and streamer has yet to be confirmed, although HBO productions usually launch on Sky Atlantic and Now TV, so fingers crossed.

A very short teaser trailer for And Just Like That was also released recently, and we couldn't be more excited.

HBO shared the clip on the show's official Instagram account, leaving it without a caption or any sound, which just adds to the suspense.

In it, we see Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte looking as fabulous as you'd expect as they prepare to greet an unknown character. It then cuts to a cute scene between SJP's Carrie and Chris Noth's Mr Big eating takeaway together in their kitchen, looking super loved-up.

We can't wait to see more when the first official trailer drops!

And Just Like That: The cast

Returning to the series are lead characters Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, who play Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda.

Photo credit: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin
Photo credit: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin
Photo credit: Raymond Hall
Photo credit: Raymond Hall

Kim Cattrall — who played PR guru and sexpert Samantha Jones in the original series and two subsequent 2008 and 2010 films, Sex And The City: The Movie and Sex And The City 2 — declined to join the rest of the cast for the reboot, and therefore won't be appearing.

Photo credit: James Devaney
Photo credit: James Devaney

However, Nicole Ari Parker (best known for her roles in Empire and Chicago P.D) has been spotted filming on the streets of New York alongside other cast members — as well as cuddling up to the three leading ladies in one of SJP's Instagram posts — resulting in much speculation being made around the possibility that she could, in fact, be the new Samantha.

We now know of course, that the character of Samantha won't be replaced, and that Ari Parker will be playing Lisa Todd Wexley; a Park Avenue mother of three and documentarian, according to HBO Max. But, with Samantha firmly out of the picture, that does leave room for a new cast member to join the foursome — and we think the glamorous Park Avenue powerhouse makes the perfect addition!

Photo credit: Gotham
Photo credit: Gotham

Much to fans glee, Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth were recently spotted reuniting on set — reprising their roles of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big to continue their long-standing, complicated on-screen relationship.

Photo credit: James Devaney
Photo credit: James Devaney

Despite a rocky bump in the road for Miranda and husband Steve Brady in Sex And The City: The Movie, actor David Eigenberg, who played the bartender-turned-owner in the original series and the movies, was also seen filming scenes with his on-screen wife (far left), and barely appears to have changed at all.

Fans were delighted to see Charlotte ushering her grown-up daughter Lily through a door on-set (middle), played by 25-year-old Cathy Ang, while Carrie's arch-nemesis and Mr Big's ex Natasha (aka Bridget Moynahan) was seen strolling onto set in New York (far right).

Other characters confirmed to be returning are Charlotte's fan-favourite second husband Harry Goldenblatt (played by Evan Handler), Miranda and Steve's now-teenage son Brady (23-year-old Niall Cunningham has been cast) and To All The Boys I've Loved Before star John Corbett, who'll be reprising his role as Carrie's carpenter ex-fiancé Aidan Shaw.

Following the sad news of his death in September 2021, it's not yet known whether Willie Garson's beloved character, Stanford Blatch, will still be appearing in the series, although he was last spotted filming in August 2021.

Historically, Sex And The City hasn't been known for its diversity, with many critics calling out the show for its predominantly white casting. Fans hope that And Just Like That will be more reflective of the world today, with the top dogs working on the 10-part series vowing to make the show 'as racially diverse and colourful as New York city itself'.

And Just Like That: The plot

According to HBO Max, the new chapter will follow Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they 'navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.'

Photo credit: Gotham
Photo credit: Gotham

Not much more has been revealed, aside from star Sarah Jessica Parker posting a teaser trailer on Instagram back in January 2020, captioned: 'I couldn’t help but wonder... where are they now?' The video featured a montage of footage of New York City, plus a computer screen with the phrases, 'And just like that…' and 'The story continues…' all narrated by Bradshaw, of course.

With so little info to go on, fans have had to make do with imagining how the remake will portray the women as they are today, twenty years on from the original series — from the state of their relationships to their grown-up kids and how both their careers and their sense of style have evolved over time.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

Original costume designer Patricia Field — who thrust designer labels into the spotlight during the six-season show (who could forget Carrie's infamous obsession with Manolo Blahnik shoes?) — will sadly not be returning for the revival series, as she's working on location in Paris for Netflix hit Emily in Paris. She did however, tell WWD that her 'dear friend' Molly Rogers, who worked with Field on the early noughties series, will be in charge of dressing the cast.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

And Just Like That: The air date

We now know that And Just Like That will be launching in December, but no official air date has been confirmed so far.

And Just Like That will launch on HBO Max in December.


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