'Sex and the City' showrunner addresses whether Kim Cattrall could ever return as Samantha: 'I have no realistic expectation'

• "Sex and the City" and "And Just Like That" showrunner Michael Patrick King said he has "no realistic expectation" of Kim Cattrall ever returning as Samantha Jones.
• "Just like there was no thought that Kim would ever participate in 'And Just Like That,' because she's said what she had said," he told Variety.

"Sex and the City" showrunner Michael Patrick King told Variety he has "no realistic expectation" of Kim Cattrall ever returning as Samantha Jones in the sequel series, "And Just Like That."

In an interview with Variety, King was asked whether the door is open for Cattrall to reprise her role.

"No," King said. "There was no thought that Kim would ever participate in 'And Just Like That,' because she's said what she had said."

"I have no realistic expectation of Kim Cattrall ever appearing again," he said.

Cattrall had said in 2017 that she didn't want to play the character again.

King previously said there was never an intention to include Cattrall as Samantha in the reboot.

"Kim Cattrall, for whatever reason, didn't want to play Samantha anymore while we were doing the [third] movie," King told the Hollywood Reporter in December.

While fans have speculated Cattrall didn't return for the sequel series because of a rumored longstanding feud with Parker, Parker shut down those rumors shortly after the show was announced.

"No. I don't dislike her. I've never said that. Never would," Parker wrote in an Instagram post, Insider previously reported. "Samantha isn't part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do."

Instead of doing away with Samantha completely for "And Just Like That...," King has included the character using memories and text messages. In one instance, Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw reaches out to her estranged friend asking to talk.

"Soon," Samantha replied.

"Samantha can be in the show," King explained. "Because she should be: She's part of the show and people love her. And I wanted to respect the legacy, wanted to respect the fans."

King said he's taken on the role of Samantha as an off-screen presence.

"We use it sparingly and well. I love Samantha!" he told Variety. "I'm happy when she's in the show."