The mess between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker was only one of the reasons why no one needed a third Sex and the City movie. The HBO show was great, and it’s still totally watchable, but the movies are utter trash. The first movie focused so heavily on Carrie Bradshaw’s immature, self-centered drama that the film just fell flat from a storytelling perspective. The second film aimed to be a bit more fun, but it ended up being a racist, superficial mess too. We always knew that a script for SATC 3 existed, and that Sarah Jessica was really gung-ho about it. I always thought that Kim Cattrall was curious, so she asked to read the script and then she turned it down because it was just more of the same old Carrie-centric crap. Yeah… as it turns out, it would have been SATC 3: The Widow Carrie. They were going to kill off Mr. Big.
Grab some tissue Sex and the City fans — this one is going to hurt! On Monday’s episode of Origins podcast, host James Andrew Miller revealed Mr. Big, played by Chris Noth, was set to die in the third film. Miller, who claimed he saw an early version of the script, explained that Mr. Big, whose real name is John James Preston, dies “relatively early” of a heart attack.
While the spoiler comes as quite a shock to many devoted fans, Mr. Big previously had a “routine” heart procedure in season 6 in which Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, laid by his side throughout his recovery process. Nonetheless, Carrie as a widow is something viewers will never see. In fact, it’s allegedly one of the reasons why Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones, wasn’t on board for Sex and the City 3.
“People close to Kim believe that the script didn’t have a lot to offer the character of Samantha,” Miller alleged during the episode. “They point to the fact that it calls for Mr. Big to die of a heart attack in the shower, relatively early on in the film, making the remainder of the movie more about how Carrie recovers from Big’s death than about the relationship between the four women,” Miller explained.
As for how Noth, 64, felt about his character’s death, he didn’t get a chance to read the script but during the podcast, he told Miller he heard it was “superior” to the other movies. Noth went on to reveal he didn’t like the first two films, explaining they didn’t match the humor or rawness of the HBO series.
“I really hate corny stuff and it could be because I’m a little bit of a cynic,” Noth said during the interview. “Like, the whole thing at the end of the movie in the shoe closet— hated it,” the actor said of a scene from the first movie, moments before Big and Carrie get married. “Hated the thing at the end of the movie after I felt she deceived me and then I say, ‘Well, it’s time I give you a bigger diamond ring.’ Hated it. I just hate the cornball s— and I thought it was just really sentimental and overly romantic without any feet in realism,” Noth added. However, the actor admitted he still would have been on board for a final movie.
That’s why Sarah Jessica was so furious about Kim refusing to sign on – the third film was going to be All About Carrie and Carrie-grieving and Carrie-never-being-able-to-move-on. It sounds like even more of a downer than the first film, and possibly more narcissistic. Ugh. And Chris Noth would have been up for it because he would have only had to work on the film for like a week. Cattrall was like, “damn, kill me off too.” Anyway, this just reconfirms something I knew all along: the third film doesn’t need to be made. EVER.
Photos courtesy of Sex and the City 2.
That oral history podcast just continues to prove Kim Cattrall’s point of this horrid cast and crew bullying her. She’s done with this crap and they should be too. That plotline is awful
By this moment, unless they kill Carrie and set the girls free to find a better friend, I won’t be watching.
Again, thank you Kim Cattrall for being as good as a friend as Samantha is and keeping us fans from watching a crappy movie.
Yes, exactly! Kim Cattrall seems to be the only one who understands the show’s ticket was the friendship between the girls and not the Carrie show. If they want to do it soooo bad “for the fans,” do it without her, she already gave her blessing for them to do so. But they know the franchise is nothing without Samantha, and that’s why they’re so bitter.
I watched the show with friends when it was originally airing, and I never heard anybody say they were a “Carrie,” or say she was their favorite. It was always Sam, Charlotte, or even Miranda. I would almost say I watched the show in spite of Carrie because her steady stream of selfish choices made it hard to root for her. Making this movie all about Carrie and her grief and removing the focus on good female friendships…well, it’s a mistake and I’m glad the film isn’t seeing the light of day.
Honestly, I would love that movie. I’ve said the entire time this third movie mess was happening, I would love to see the other three without Carrie.
Yes! Thank you Kim/Samantha. Like @dietcokehead I watched despite Carrie, because it was great in so many other ways. Carrie was so annoying and up her own azz.
Hated Carrie too, though just like Lena Dumham’s character in her show, I do find her characterization fairly realistic for a rich, white big city writer/wannabe artiste.
Yep, killing off one of the girls would be a better plotline.
I love hearing him criticize the ending of the first two movies. They were both awful movies in general but the endings were horrible. “Cheat on me, here’s a diamond ring!” It’s supposed to work the other way, per the Bryants and Beckhams. The movies actually ruined the series for me because they weren’t untrue to the characters – well, not untrue to Carrie. Carrie always was a narcissistic self-centered spoiled character. She was the least interesting one out of the four.
And I hated what the second movie did with Samantha’s character, no wonder she refused the third movie.
I love his shade so much it makes me giggle. I hated every bit of the second movie, but the ending was the worst. Carrie cheated and she gets a black diamond because she is so special and Big forgot that or something? He gave a TV to recreate a romantic moment they shared at the wedding and Carrie complains she rather would have had jewelry.
I also loved Chris North’s face when Ricky Gervais threw some shade during the Golden Globes about the heavily retouched poster for the 2nd movie.
I love Noth’s criticism too but it also highlights yet again sexism and misogyny. He’s allowed to express his true feelings and point out the obvious: both SATC movies were pretty dang awful (the first one did have some redeeming qualities) with two just being a total dumpster fire. But can you imagine the uproar if Cattrall had said the same things? Women are always expected to be grateful, polite, and just be happy for the opportunity and a paycheck.
“Carrie always was a narcissistic self-centered spoiled character.” No shade, but hasn’t that always been Sarah Jessica Parker’s characters? Isn’t that just Sarah Jessica Parker?
So they were going to give Mr. Big the Bridget Jones treatment? Glad this movie did not pan out.
Agreed!
Plus, I feel like we already watched Carrie mourn after Mr. Big in the first movie when the wedding was called off and they went on the honeymoon to try to cheer her up. It would be more of the same.
MY EXACT THOUGHT. I bet they were going to find a younger guy for her to heal with, too…
Ugh that would be awful. I didn’t care for the first movie and I thought the second was unwatchable. This? Good thing it won’t be made.
The second one was one of the most offensive movies ever. Shallow and materialistic to the nth and that’s saying something for SATC.
Totally lost the plot when she kissed Aidan. Can you imagine the all about me dwama if the stiletto were on the other foot. And poor Samantha. Character homicide.
It also confirms that SATC has always been about SJP and her MASSIVE EGO. It went downhill when she became a producer and was when I stopped watching it. Carrie was annoying but became unbearable are that happened.
THIS. And that is why Kim wisely chose to say bye bye to them all.
Yup, starting to see KC’s point. Though I still wish she would have handled herself differently. Had she said some of what we’re all saying, she could have come up on top. Instead she looked petty.
Emmi, yes but it’s so difficult with the lrrss and how the paint headlines to sell their papers or news. And having lived in a toxic work enviroment (and still in one) I am sure Kim just wanted it all to be done with no matter what. And I am sure SJP is not happy with the light shinibg through on what her true self is like. But who knows she may read this post and say: ohhhh, lool Matt, another article about me.
Uh handling pressure from bullies is hard to do do well and publicly at that, especially if it impacts your career. Kim Cattrall didn’t slam her publicly to try to get her out of her life and mentions until her own Mom was hurt by SJP us g her son’s death for PR.
SJP and those who supported her publicly are trash and proved Kim had every right to stand up for herself and say no thanks and get out of my life. Kim fan all the way from day one. I never watched this show thank goodness.
Good lord that whole thing sounds horrid. Team Kim!
Ditto
As soon as SJP was made an executive producer it became more of the Carrie show and product placements for whatever deals she was getting.
I just can’t rustle up enough interest to care that much about this – if it was such a big deal to get it made and Kim didn’t want to be part of it, why not just write her out of the script – make some reference to her living in Cleveland or have the other three lay flowers at her grave. It’s not damn rocket science…(more of a SJP Vanity project).
Because Kim was always right about her value. They can’t get the film made without her. For years SJP was under the mistaken impression it was the Carrie show, but viewers never saw it that way nor wanted that.
It’d be like doing a Friends movie without, say, Matthew Perry and Courtney Cox. Someone would probably green light it, but it’d be a low budget straight to DVD release. That’s not what SJP’s going for.
Thanks, Jane. I’m familiar enough with the SATC to understand that, but I am familiar enough that the few times I caught it, Samantha’s storyline was the best and funniest thing about the show.
not familiar. I meant not! Geez. (Typing when home sick….)
Ooh, I just love Noth’s salty take on the first two movies.
I figured that they were going to kill Big off if there was a third movie. That explains why they couldn’t also kill off Samantha, which SJP would have ordered up in a hot minute. Two major deaths would have been too grim. No wonder she was so frantic to get Kim in the movie—no Kim, no movie.
I do find it funny that Noth’s rather rude criticisms are in good fun but Kim Cattrall’s valid feelings are just her being an evil bitch. We’re witnessing bullying and sexism first hand by the cast and crew of this show.
Yep!
Yep. Andy Cohen was a big supporter of SJP too in this. Of course.
I had that in mind as well – what else could a third movie have been about if not Big dying? And that explains perfectly why they couldn’t just kill off Samantha – two MAYOR deaths in this movie? Never going to happen.
Now we are never going to see the exquisite pain of Carrie. You know… a pain so deep and pure no-one has ever felt before. I’m sorry – I need a tissue…
Enough already, Sarah you already have more $$$ than you could ever need from this franchise.
If half of the bullying stories are true good riddance.
I LOVED the ending of the tv-series. I chose never to watch any of the movies, so that that ending would stay with me.
I wish they had not made those movies.
Same, completely pointless. The series ended on a good note.
Right!
I never understood why the series worked so well, but the movies were unwatchable mess.
Let the franchise end on a high, why keep resurrecting it in bad movies? its an era that’s ended…leave it at that.
yes. money grab.
I was late to the SATC series, but I thought the early episodes were much stronger/more interesting than the later ones. Imo, as soon as they became successful, they watered it down to play to a broader audience.
It’s kind of shameful that the women (minus Kim) don’t seem to realize how bad the movies became. They must be blinded by their love for themselves, I don’t know.
I’m sure I’m in the minority…but if I were SJP…I wouldn’t even have WENT there with Kim…I would have written her out and kept it moving…because I am OWED A DECENT THIRD FILM AFTER THE TRAVESTY OF THAT LAST ONE!
Certainly not in the minority, Kim Cattrall agrees with you. She told them to do it without her or recast Samantha. They chose to passive aggressively and publicly trash her instead.
Yes Lala I’m with you!!! I still want my movie. Hahahaha
That’s what I don’t get – write her character out. Kill her off. Have her move to Thailand and send emails to the group. If they wanted the third movie so bad, make it work without her.
I’ve never seen so much handwringing, backstabbing, and bitching about a project that really no one but the star wants. LET IT GO.
If they were going to kill Big off they wouldn’t want Samantha killed off as well. Or even absent.
They could have switched it out. Kill Samantha instead. This makes for a better story- show the remaining three becoming closer and having that bond become stronger after the death of a beloved friend.
They can not kill off Samantha! That would put all of the other three women and their grieve in the focus of that movie. Killing of Big lays the whole focus on Carrie and puts the other women in the background as extras. That’s what this whole movie was all about: Carrie and her exquisite pain… oh here comes one of the girls feeding Carrie, because she is too weak to eat soup.
(Even if they entertained the notion of releasing Kim, I suspect someone higher up at the studio was refusing to sign off without all four.)
I surprised to hear you think they have a good film left in them. I don’t believe that. The story was drawn out.
Same here. I actually didn’t mind the first film, but I HATED the second one. Since they couldn’t leave well enough alone they owe us a proper ending to everyone’s story!
The whole first movie was about her grieving, no thank you.
I’m so glad that Kim didn’t sign on for this. I couldn’t handle Big’s death and then the focus on Carrie’s grief for the whole movie. Sounds awful and I’m a die-hard SATC fan.
Well, we all need to send a thank you post card to Kim because this looks like a mess. The whole Sex and the City is all about Carrie and her love life. This is a sign of self indulgence and it is so unrealistic – most women have much more problems to deal with in life that just their love lives. So yet another proof we do not need any more of this mess, it reduces a woman to her partner.
I never watched Sex and the City for their relationships w/ men. Even as a teenager, I thought they were all bird brains when it came to their romantic relationships. The clothes and the women’s friendship with each other was the driving force for m. Especially the clothes. I used to dream about Carrie’s Dior “Sorry I slept with your husband” dress. If there’s no KC then a vital part of their group is missing and that’s not compelling to me.
Well said. The best relationship was always the one the women had with each other.
Phew! Thank goodness they didn’t make this movie! Ugh, what a horrible idea killing off Big’s character would be. I too loved the HBO series back in the day so much. Saw the two movies, but they were disappointing, to say the least. The third was a joke lol. Love Chris Noth’s shade here – he is totally right on target! As much as I loved Carrie and Big, I was an Aiden fan. Wished she ended up with him, but she was too flawed, too narcissistic for him. Now I can see why Kim Cattrell wanted nothing to do with this mess! Good on her!
Well, screw this! I never want this movie to happen! I love Mr. Big!!
Kim’s decision to skip this one out makes so much sense!
BORING.
I’m currently rewatching the series on Amazon. Carrie was soooo selfish and had moments of utter awfulness when it came to Aidan (who was too good for her)! Samantha and Miranda were the coolest friends, but I especially loved that Samantha was the most supportive/least judgmental. Kim Cattrall was/is great and I believe her 100% when it comes to her version of things. I thought the first movie was okay, although some of the story arcs didn’t make sense. For example, Steve cheating on Miranda just didn’t seem believable. The second movie was trash.
Chris Noth is so freaking hot. One of my all-timers for, well, all-time.
I’m sure killing him off had lots to do with the fact that this isn’t the first time he’s been critical of SJP and the movies, or the time he was caught on camera laughing a little too loudly at the Golden Globes after the joke about how much Photoshop had been done to the women for the movie poster. Maybe I’m wrong but, given the Cattrall backlash, SJP does seem petty like that. And all the women were super vocal about hating that joke.
BTW, didn’t love Gervais as Globes host but did laugh at this one … “There were a lot of big films that didn’t get nominated this year, nothing for Sex and the City 2. No, I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster. Girls, we know how old you are. I saw one of you in an episode of Bonanza.”
“Carrie Bradshaw’s immature, self-centered drama”
Bro she was dumped at the altar. I think that’s one of the few times life gives you license to be as dramatic as you want.
I actually didn’t hate the first film. The second one was embarrassing and no man will give a woman jewelry after kissing another man.
I hated the way she blamed Miranda for it though.
Miranda had been cheated on and (understandably) made one bitter comment to Big- THAT’s why he dump Carrie at the altar?
Talk about not taking any responsibility…. Typical Carrie.
Was she dumped at the altar though? Was she? He kept trying talk to her about how he felt and she kept ignoring him. Then she turns around and blames her friend for it. No.
Yes? When something is that pressing, you make it a priority to get the communication across. You don’t let it play out in a public theatre at the worst possible moment like that in front of all of your friends and family. Carrie made her own mistakes in their relationship, but his behavior was absolutely uncalled for. I’d be absolutely livid if somebody did that to me, especially when you consider how costly weddings are in the first place.
@Veronica S. That costly wedding was all Carrie’s fault. She was the one pushing for bigger and more. Should he have tried other ways to reach her? Yes. Was her behaviour the biggest part of the problem? Yes.
Her behaviour after the failed wedding was beyond ridiculous.
ugh, kill off Big after like 5/6 seasons and two movies trying to get them to a stable place in their relationship? Why???
For a chance to make the entire movie about Carrie and allow her to emote about her “grief” and how “life isn’t fair.”
I hated what the second movie did to Samantha. Samantha always let her sexuality guide her, but it never made her dumb or foolish. In the movie, she became a total idiot and Samantha never would have disregarded the laws of a country, no matter how old fashioned they seemed. She was smarter than that. She became a caricature and a very sloppy one at that. I was embarrassed for Kim Cattrall.
I totally agree with you. She was always my favorite character — deeply kind, generous and self possessed. She never would have been as shallow or insecure as she was in the first film or as culturally moronic as she was in the second. I also loved Smith in the tv show and thought he was the best of the guys but they lost that in the films too. I know a lot of people like Aiden but something about how he slapped the nicotine patch on Carrie’s arm, the way he took over her place, and also kept pushing for more than she could give him, I just wondered if he would have an abusive streak down the road. And KC was my fav actor as well. OK, I know I know too much about these characters and that they’re not really real haha…
Aidan abusive…no way. An untrusting insecure mess, definitely. Aidan was that guy. Wanted to get married, too kiss ass, no trust, insecure. No way those two would end up together. She only wanted him back to see if he hated her. She was always a cheater, Carrie and Big were one in the same. Emotionally closed off, selfish, stubborn. But out of the two of them, I thought Big was at least funny.
The movies were SO LONG. They were both boring too. Aiden coincidentally was in Abu Dhabi the same time Carrie and her friends were?? So stupid. And I loved Aiden. Sounds like the third would have been depressing.
I cared about the storylines of ALL four women, not just Carrie. Unfortunately the movies were all about Carrie and not about their friendships and I lost interest. The second movie was unbelievably awful.
I thought the contract discussion was interesting. Because ultimately, this was about business. Kim wasn’t being paid what she thought she was worth, and walked away. They finally discussed that, and I think that had they been publicly more supportive of that, this whole debacle would have come across differently. Be disappointed, but support your co-worker negotiating. And it was interesting reading the discussion about contracts, and what went into that.
And of course they were going to kill Big. There wasn’t really any story left. Carrie wasn’t going to have a baby. They weren’t going to have her go through menopause. The only “movie size” storyline was him dying. Glad we’re missing that.
Seriously? That’s all they could come up with? I loved SATC on HBO (even still watch it sometimes!), but the movies have been so horrid. Why do the writers insist on Carrie ending up with Big but then constantly taking that “happy ending” away? First movie, they call of the wedding, second movie, she cheats. If they don’t want to write Carrie and Big in a relationship then just show us Carrie dating! Meanwhile the other characters are basically reduced to caricature versions of themselves. It would have been so nice if Carrie and Big could have been portrayed as a loving, adult couple and Carrie and the girls could have continued being squad goals, with New York as the fabulous, gritty, exhilirating backdrop to their lives. Ugh I’m almost insulted lol. Starting to understand Kim Catrall a lot better!
Carrie was always a shit character though. Her head was too far up her own ass to be an actual friend. She sent her boyfriend to help her friend off the bathroom floor because she was too busy with her side piece.
LOL!!! Are you Australian? I’m an Aussie and you would fit in here
They should have killed Carrie off in the first few minutes and then spent the remaining two hours having them celebrate the death of her selfish narcissistic character. Carrie was the worst, so full of herself and everyone had to kiss her ass. No wonder SJP was so good at it, not much of a reach. Those movies were horrible. Never should have been made. Team Cattrall.
I actually liked the first movie. Not great but something I like to watch when it comes on. It would have been better without Jennifer Hudson. I felt like she was just there and didn’t add anything to the movie. I hated the second movie. I don’t know what it’s even about. It’s seemed like a bunch of scenes not a storyline.
The movies were garbage. Thank God Kim said no to a third. I’d also argue the show is not as watchable as it once was. The materialism and rich white woman privilege (which the second movie doubled-down on) hasn’t aged all that well.
Agree. I could not do a rewatch.
Yes. SJP doesn’t seem to be very aware of the times… like, it’s not the 90s anymore, or the 2000s, for that matter…
Confession: I more or less liked the first movie. It wasn’t perfect, but it still had some of the key elements I liked from the show. (I’m still salty about Smith and Samantha, though.)
The second one was just trash, though. I’m honestly shocked anyone thought the franchise could come back from that.
OH GAWD
most of the series was carrie mooning around over Big, then the two movies were, and then THIS?
blaaaaaah
Carrie, carrie, carrie …. blah, blah, blah…
KC has saved whatever shred of dignity the whole epoch has left by refusing to do a third one… like how dead can that horse BE? …
Now I’m even more glad the movie didn’t get made. THANK YOU KIM! I loved Big! He was problematic, I know, but he was interesting and Noth was amazing in the role. I would have hated to see him go out like that. If this was the ending they really wanted, then they should have just kept them broken up in the first movie since she went through a long mourning period then. Why would we want to see that a second time?
SJP wants a 3rd movie badly because SATC was her only big career thing and she wants to relive those days as well as sell more shoes. The shows feels dated nowadays. Always Team Kim as the petty, evil way SJP and her sidekicks threw her under the bus with leaks for years was underhanded not to mention defamatory and unprofessional. Let’s remember Cattrall put up with this until she really couldn’t and called SJP out on instagram with a link to that Mean Girls article by NYPost. Will these people ever understand a woman, man, or child of working age has the right ask for more pay, play hardball in negotations, and/or turn down a job offer without fear of the utterly pathetic public shaming like Kim has been targeted with?
And thanks to the posters upthread who pointed out how Chris Noth can be antagonistic publicly about the show and it’s just a guy being honest but Kim Cattrall follows her own ideas but is painted as a diva. Also will just point out SJP was executive producer for years and couldn’t manage to make her character any less unlikeable.
Killing off Samantha and watching how the girls deal with her death would have been far more interesting than killing Big. The girls are the central love story and seeing how the group dynamic would change and how they would cope would be quite compelling. Samantha had breast cancer. It would be easy enough to have it return and be more aggressive this time. I don’t blame KC for not wanting to come back. The second film was a huge embarrassment. There’s no way a sophisticated business woman like Samantha would have acted that way in a foreign country. That script was a cruel thing to do to the actress.