Michael Patrick King Assures SATC Fans Kim Cattrall's Samantha Is Not Dead: 'Nobody's Dead'

"Sexy and the City" fans don't have to worry about one thing in the runup to the premiere of HBO Max's sequel series, "And Just Like That." In an interview with The New York Times, showrunner Michael Patrick King assures that Samantha is not dead.

As everyone who's paid any attention at all to "SATC" over the past several years, Kim Cattrall has distanced herself from her iconic role, so it was no surprise that she opted out of appearing alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon.

And while SJP has never suggested that Cattrall's character might be killed off, instead saying simply that she "isn't part of this story" in a comment to a fan question on an Instagram post.

Shutting down any and all speculation that she may be dead, King said unequivocally, "Nobody's dead. Nobody."

That would include both Chris Noth's Big and Willie Garson's Stanford Blanch, who portrayed Carrie's (Parker) BFF. Fans have been convinced even before his appearance in the show's trailer that Noth's Big was, in fact, alive.

But the situation with Garson is far more immediate and heartbreaking. In the middle of filming on the sequel series, and after he'd been spotted on and around the set, Garson passed away amid his battle with cancer.

His sudden death, even as filming was already underway, left fans wondering if and how his death might be written into the show. It turns out it won't be. At all.

As for why not, King told the Times, "Because it wasn't charming. And I knew the audience would know." Instead, Garson will appear in the show in his usual role by Carrie's side as a friend and supporter.

Last week, King told The Hollywood Reporter that they'd not filmed everything they wanted with Garson before his passing. "We had a whole journey that we weren't able to do," he said. "But what he did is fantastic."

It looks like fans will get to enjoy some kind of closure with Garson, at least with him appearing in the series. It remains to be seen if any sort of poignant final scene will be presented, even if it isn't necessarily an official farewell moment.

As for Big, he does appear in that latest trailer for "And Just Like That..." but it's at least possible that's in a flashback sequence; there are quite a few missing years between the "SATC" finale and now. Either way, his story will also continue

And even though Cattrall won't be appearing, it's still possible fans can get a status update on what Samantha is doing these days. That leaves the door open for a return, should she ever change her mind -- though after more than ten years, that seems unlikely -- in potential future seasons.

You can check out the latest trailer below ahead of the two-episode premiere of "And Just Like That..." this Thursday, December 9, on HBO Max.