And Just Like That Showrunner Claims Samantha Will Be a Part of Season 2

Kim Cattrall may not be reprising the role of Samantha Jones, but that doesn't mean the character will not appear in the reboot.

In a new interview with Variety, showrunner Michael Patrick King dropped the following bombshell:

Samantha Jones will be featured in a storyline on And Just Like That Season 2!

It's certainly a shocker, but don't expect Cattrall to return.

Cattrall has been vocal about being done with the franchise, and given her strained relationship with former co-star Sarah Jessica Parker, we're inclined to believe it will be someone else taking on the role.

Fans were left in shock when Samantha was mentioned on And Just Like That Season 1, and there were hints of her repairing her relationship with Carrie.

King didn't elaborate much beyond the fact that Samantha will be a part of the show.

"It's all so new right now," he explained to the outlet.

"One of my big rules is don't tell things until they're real."

"My goal is to bring all the characters into the mix together, so that they're not so much on separate runways."

HBO Max officially picked up And Just Like That Season 2 in March following a record-breaking debut.

“I am delighted and excited to tell more stories about these vibrant, bold characters – played by these powerful, amazing actors,” King said in a statement at the time.

“The fact is, we’re all thrilled. And just like that… our Sex life is back.”

News of Samantha's imminent arrival on the series comes just under a week after Sarah Jessica Parker shed light on the one-sided rift with Cattrall.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Parker said that it was "very hard to talk about the situation with Kim," but she wanted people to know that it isn't a two-way "catfight."

During the aforementioned podcast, Parker said she thinks the unrest between the pair dates back to 2017 when the third movie was scrapped.

At the time, there were reports that Cattrall's contractual demands sunk the flick.

"They didn’t feel comfortable meeting where she wanted to meet, and so we didn’t do the movie because we didn’t want to do it without Kim,” Parker recalled.

“Were we [she and co-stars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon] disappointed? Sure. But it happens.”

In the aftermath, Cattrall made headlines for saying she and Parker had never been friends, and alleged that Parker was cruel while filming the original series.

“There were just a lot of public conversations about how she felt about the show,” Parker said, adding that these were “very painful” because they did not reflect “our experience."

“I’ve spent a lot of years working really hard to always be decent to everybody on the set, to take care of people, to be responsible to and for people, both my employers and the people that I feel I’m responsible for as a producer of the show."

Parker said that she believed Cattrall didn't want to be a part of the franchise any longer, and thus, she will not be back as Samantha.

What are your thoughts on the news?