Ever since "Sex and the City" fans learned that Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones wouldn't be a part of the revival, they wondered how the series could go on without her.
However, showrunner Michael Patrick King told The Hollywood Reporter that "And Just Like That..." was "never" intended to focus on all four women from the original series.
MORE: The 1st official teaser trailer for the 'Sex and the City' revival 'And Just Like That ...' is here!"It never was on the radar as four, because Kim Cattrall, for whatever reason, didn't want to play Samantha anymore while we were doing the [third] movie," King said.
While a script was created for a third film, Cattrall said she wasn't interested in playing the character again.
When someone on Instagram asked her to "find a way" to be in the a third "Sex and the City" movie in 2017, the now 65-year-old actress replied in a comment, "I can't. My heart isn't in it anymore. I've moved on. 61 isn't 53 or 41."
MORE: Chris Noth shares photo with Sarah Jessica Parker from 'Sex and the City' revivalThe movie was ultimately scrapped, and King said he understood that it was unlikely that any "Sex and the City"-related project would ever feature Cattrall.
"I never thought, 'Oh, there's a hole I have to fill,'" he said about Cattrall not being on board. "Samantha doesn't not exist in their lives. ['And Just Like That...'] was born of these three characters: What's their life, and who can I bring in to inform it?"
"And Just Like That..." -- starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon -- launches with two episodes on Dec. 9, with the next eight being released each subsequent Thursday on HBO Max.