Let's be real for a second. If you were anywhere near a screen in 2017, you probably remember the absolute meltdown that happened when the plug was officially pulled on Sex and the City 3. It wasn't just a "scheduling conflict" or a "creative difference." It was a full-blown tabloid war. One day we were hearing rumors about a script where Mr. Big dies in a shower, and the next, Kim Cattrall was basically telling the world she was done with the franchise—and Sarah Jessica Parker—for good.
It’s been years. We’ve had two seasons of And Just Like That... and a confusingly brief (but expensive) Samantha Jones cameo in a car. Yet, people still search for what that third movie was actually supposed to be. Why? Because the second movie was, frankly, a mess. Fans wanted a palate cleanser. They wanted a proper ending. Instead, we got a public feud that redefined how we look at "sisterhood" on television.
The Script That Killed the Franchise
What was actually in the Sex and the City 3 script? It’s not just rumors; several key players have confirmed the broad strokes. The biggest bombshell? Mr. Big was supposed to die. Early. We’re talking "heart attack in the shower" early.
This wasn't some random leak; it was eventually confirmed by James Andrew Miller on his Origins podcast. Michael Patrick King had a vision that moved the focus away from the "happily ever after" of the first film and the "shopping in Abu Dhabi" vibe of the second. The movie was going to be about Carrie Bradshaw’s grief. It was about how a woman in her 50s navigates losing the love of her life.
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s exactly what they ended up doing in the first episode of the reboot series.
But back in 2017, this was a massive sticking point. Reports suggested that Kim Cattrall wasn’t interested in a script where Samantha Jones didn't have much to do other than support a grieving Carrie. Honestly, can you blame her? Samantha was the heartbeat of the show’s humor and sex appeal. Shifting the entire narrative to Carrie’s mourning process felt, to Cattrall, like a step backward for her character. She wanted Samantha to have her own growth, not just be a secondary character in Carrie’s tragedy.
Why the Third Movie Never Happened
It wasn't just about the plot. It was about the "Great Divide." For years, the industry whispered about the tension between SJP and Cattrall. When Sex and the City 3 was officially scrapped, the gloves came off. SJP expressed disappointment, saying they had a "beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script."
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Cattrall fired back. She made it clear she had said "no" as far back as 2016. She didn't want a "diva" narrative pinned on her. She was 60. She wanted to do other things. She felt the environment on set was, well, toxic is a strong word, but let's just say it wasn't a brunch at Pastis.
The fallout was messy. It involved Instagram posts, public condolences that were rejected, and a fan base forced to pick sides. It’s one of the few times in Hollywood history where a massive, multi-million dollar production was killed not by a studio, but by the sheer refusal of one lead actress to return to a work environment she no longer enjoyed.
The Cultural Impact of the Missing Movie
We can't talk about the lack of a third film without talking about the fans. The second movie has a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was criticized for being tone-deaf and materialistic. Sex and the City 3 was supposed to be the redemption arc.
When it died, a piece of the 2000s died with it. The franchise was stuck in a state of suspended animation for years. We were left with the image of Carrie and Big living in their "heavenly" apartment, a version of reality that felt increasingly disconnected from the world.
Think about the timing. The third movie would have likely hit theaters around 2018 or 2019. This was the height of the #MeToo movement and a massive shift in how we talk about female friendship and agency. The show that pioneered talking about sex on TV was suddenly silent during the most important conversation about sex in decades.
Is And Just Like That... Just a Recycled Movie?
Basically, yes. If you’ve watched the Max reboot, you’ve seen the bones of Sex and the City 3.
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- The Death of Big: This was the anchor of the third movie's plot.
- Miranda’s Career Shift: The idea of Miranda Hobbes wanting more than just a corporate law partner chair started in those early script discussions.
- Charlotte’s Parenting Struggles: Specifically, navigating her children growing into their own identities.
The difference is the format. A movie has two hours to tell a story; a series has ten. By stretching the Sex and the City 3 concept into a series, the creators were able to add more diverse voices—something the original films were rightfully dragged for lacking. But it also meant we lost the cinematic scale. We lost the "event" feel of a theatrical release.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Feud
People love a villain. For a long time, the internet made Kim Cattrall the villain. They said she was holding the fans hostage for more money or more screen time.
But looking back through a 2026 lens, the perspective has shifted. People now talk about "workplace boundaries." Cattrall wasn't just being difficult; she was finished with a job. If any other professional decided they didn't want to return to a high-stress job after twenty years, we’d call it retirement or a career change. Because it was Hollywood, it was called a feud.
SJP has always maintained that there is no "catfight." She’s played it very "professional New Yorker." But the reality is that the chemistry required for Sex and the City 3 to work simply wasn't there anymore. You can’t fake that kind of intimacy—the kind where four women sit around a table and tell each other their darkest secrets—if you aren't speaking in real life.
The Financial Loss
Let’s talk money. The first movie made over $415 million worldwide. The second, despite the bad reviews, pulled in nearly $300 million. A third film was a guaranteed license to print money. Warner Bros. knew it. The actors knew it.
By walking away, the cast walked away from eight-figure paychecks. That alone tells you how deep the rift was. Usually, money heals all wounds in Hollywood. Not this time. The collapse of Sex and the City 3 remains one of the most expensive "creative differences" in modern cinema history.
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Where the Franchise Goes From Here
So, we never got the movie. We got the reboot instead. Is it better? That’s subjective. Some fans hate the new direction; others find it more realistic.
But the "missing movie" still holds a weird power over the fandom. There are still "what if" threads on Reddit every single day. What if they had just recast Samantha? (They wouldn't have dared). What if they had set it in London? What if they had actually focused on the fashion instead of the funeral?
The reality is that the era of the "Sex and the City Movie" is over. We’ve moved into the era of the "prestige streaming drama." The sparkle of the big screen has been replaced by the grit of "prestige TV" aging.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're still mourning the loss of the third film or trying to make sense of the current state of the franchise, here is how to navigate the legacy:
- Watch the "Origins" Podcast: If you want the deepest dive into the "why" behind the cancellation, James Andrew Miller’s interview with the cast and crew is the definitive source. It’s where the "Big dies in the shower" news first broke.
- Revisit the Series, Skip the Second Movie: To understand why a third movie was so hard to write, go back to the original HBO series. You’ll see the DNA of the characters and realize that by the time the second movie rolled around, they had become caricatures. The third movie’s failure was actually a symptom of the characters outgrowing their original premise.
- Accept the Reboot for What It Is: Stop looking for the third movie in And Just Like That... It’s a different beast. The reboot is a meditation on aging, whereas the third movie was intended to be a grand finale.
- Follow the Creators, Not Just the Actors: To get a sense of where the story might go in the future (without the constraints of a 2-hour movie format), follow Michael Patrick King’s interviews. He is surprisingly candid about what he kept from the original movie script and what he threw away.
Sex and the City 3 didn't die because of one person or one bad idea. It died because the world changed, and the people making it changed too. Sometimes, the most "Sex and the City" thing you can do is realize when the party is over and head home—even if everyone else wants you to stay for one more drink.