Sex And The Diversity... Samantha is replaced by two ‘feisty women of colour’
IT MAY have attempted to define relationships, friendships and metropolitan glamour in Noughties America.
But while there was sex in Sex And The City, there certainly wasn’t much diversity.
Now the eagerly anticipated reboot of the popular series is about to abandon its all-white cast in attempt to update the show for modern sensitivities.
Producers on the £8 million, ten-part series, which will start filming in the summer, have vowed to make the show ‘ as racially diverse and colourful as New York city itself’.
Man-eating Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, will not feature in the new version, called And Just Like That. Instead, there will be two new characters – a ‘strong, powerful AfricanAmerican woman’ and another from an Asian background.
Last night a source close to the production told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s ridiculous that life in a melting-pot like New York was portrayed solely through the eyes of white women. Samantha isn’t coming back but we are introducing two new characters, strong and feisty women of colour, who will help introduce the show to a new generation of viewers and more accurately reflect the world we live in.’
The source added: ‘It’s time for the show to reflect the faces and lives of real women in New York in 2021.’
The original series, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker as lovelorn journalist Carrie Bradshaw, became a huge hit but notably ignored the issue of race. One of the only black characters was the lowly assistant ‘Louise from St Louis’, played by Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson.
Miss Parker, 55, is reported to be earning more than £1 million to return to the show, which first aired in the UK on Channel 4 in 1999. Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, 55, will reprise their roles as Miranda and Charlotte. Miss Nixon, 54, has said her one regret is that the original show, which spawned two hit movies, did not include characters from racially diverse backgrounds.
British-born Cattr all ,64, turned down the opportunity to make a third film in 2016, amid reports of a rift with Miss Parker. The show source said: ‘The first series followed the girls in their 20s… Now they are in their 50s so life is somewhat different. The one thing that will never change is their love of great shoes.’