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‘Sex and the City’ drama explained: Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker sound off

All this “Sex and the City” drama is confusing, but one thing’s pretty clear: A third movie isn’t happening.

Actresses Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker, who played BFFs Samantha Jones and Carrie Bradshaw on the iconic NYC series that aired on HBO from 1998 to 2004, have once again found themselves back at the center of “SATC”-related gossip.

The cast had been denying rumors of a third “SATC” film for years. Seven years to be exact. While promoting the second film in 2010, SJP said she’d be just fine if the movie was the franchise’s last. Later that same year, Mr. Big, err, Chris Noth, told New York Magazine the “franchise is dead.”

Somewhere along the line, the denial faded and some, including SJP, left us with a flicker of hope that the third installment was still a possibility. “A part of me thinks there is one last chapter to tell,” SJP told InStyle in 2014. Others, like Noth, were still squashing the idea. “If it was going to happen, it would have happened five years ago,” Noth told amNewYork in 2016.

Recent Daily Mail reports claimed the group ended up on board with reprising their roles. But a reportedly “demanding” Cattrall pulled the plug. The report started a social media firestorm of drama among the “SATC” cast, SJP and Cattrall in particular.

The duo had long been the subject of rumors claiming they didn’t get along well behind the scenes while filming, but in 2016, SJP said there wasn’t any truth behind the “strange” and “upsetting” gossip. “It just didn’t reflect anything that happened on set … Nobody asked those questions of shows with men. Isn’t that interesting?” she said.

More than a year after squashing the set feud, SJP and Cattrall are dodging more “SATC 3” drama. Can’t keep up? Just grab a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery and see how it all went down.

‘SATC 3’ gets a seat on the shelf

Reports surfaced that a third flick was supposed to head into preproduction in September, but never made it. On Sept. 28, the Daily Mail exclusively reported that Cattrall and her “ridiculous demands” pulled the plug on the film. Sources claimed Cattrall told Warner Bros she’d only move forward with the film if the studio produced other projects she’d been working on. “The only reason this movie isn’t being made is because of Kim Cattrall. Everyone was looking forward to making this movie but Kim made it all about her, always playing the victim,” a source said.

SJP: ‘It’s over. We’re not doing it’

The same day that report ran, SJP was recorded saying the production wasn’t “halted.” “It’s over. We’re not doing it,” Parker told Extra at the New York City Ballet Gala without giving a reason. “I’m disappointed. We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story. It’s not just disappointing that we don’t get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for that audience that has been so vocal in wanting another movie.”

Willie Garson sad for ‘SATC 3’ crew

Willie Garson, who played Carrie’s friend Stanford Blatch in the series, chimed in on Twitter Sept. 29, saying he was “disappointed” for the crew that was holding out hope for “negotiations to conclude” on the film that wasn’t happening.

Kristin Davis ‘deeply’ frustrated

While all that was going down, Kristin Davis (Charlotte York Goldenblatt) wrote a breakup letter of sorts to the series’ fans on Instagram, sharing a photo of her character. “It is true that we are not going to be able to make a 3rd film,” she wrote. “I wish that we could have made the final chapter, on our own terms, to complete the stories of our characters. It is deeply frustrating not to able to share that chapter (beautifully written by MPK) with all of you.”

Cattrall slams her co-star

“She could have been nicer,” Cattrall told Piers Morgan on his U.K. show “Life Stories” on Oct. 2, referring to co-star Parker. Expressing shock that “negative press” had circulated about her opposition to the third film, she stressed that she’d never made diva-like demands. “The answer was always no and a respectful, firm no,” she said. “I’ve never asked for any money; I never asked for any projects … And this is really where I take to task the people from ‘Sex and the City,’ and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker, in that I think she could have been nicer.”

Cattrall retweets some shade 

On Oct. 3, Perez Hilton sent out a tweet asking fans to retweet him if they think “SATC” should move forward with the third film and “just kill @KimCattrall’s character.” Cattrall retweeted him. 

Garson implies Cattrall was never on board

“Dear fans, because I’m toxic, I’m going to negotiate a contract for 6 months, not come to terms, then say I never wanted to do it anyway.” he tweeted on Oct. 4, a clear reference to his co-star.

Cattrall brings back ‘mean girls culture’ of ‘SATC’

After the death of her brother Chris, Cattrall lashed out at Parker on Instagram. The actress had offered condolences, sort of, to Cattrall during a media event promoting the second season of “Divorce” on Feb. 8.

“Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now,” Cattrall wrote in a Feb. 10 Instagram post, referring to the “SATC” set claims. “Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend.” Cattrall posted a link to the October New York Post article delving into the apparent “mean girl” culture Parker helped establish on the series set. 

‘Some of us were disappointed’ about ‘SATC 3’

Parker, in an exclusive People interview published on Feb. 15, said she did not respond to Cattrall after her October callout with Piers Morgan. “She said things that were really hurtful about me,” she noted. “There was no fight; it was completely fabricated because I actually never responded. And I won’t because she needed to say what she needed to say, and that is her privilege.” It was that October interview that fueled the rumors behind the axed third film. 

Commenting on the now completely dead “Sex and the City 3,” Parker said the crew “never talked about” the drama surrounding it, except to say that “some of us were disappointed” that it wasn’t happening.