Spoiler Alert! Fate of Samantha Revealed on 'And Just Like That...'

Wondering how the new 'SATC' sequel will account for Samantha's absence? The series answers that question right off the bat, Vanity Fair revealed.

The project's producers were up front from the start that Kim Cattrall, who portrayed Samantha Jones in the original series and two movies, refused to participate in the new series, and that rather than re-cast the part, "And Just Like That..." would center around the remaining three main characters: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), plus a handful of new characters that bring greater diversity to the franchise.

Cattrall, 65, has expressed a lack of interest in playing the part, citing her age and saying she has "moved on".

But fans have been anxious to know Samantha's fate, especially after star Sarah Jessica Parker noted that the series will acknowledge the COVID-19 pandemic. Fretful fans worried that the new series would kill off Samantha.

"Within minutes of the opening scene of the series, viewers learn the solution," Vanity Fair reported, before delivering the spoiler:

"Samantha has moved to London for work, and no longer speaks with the other girls over a perceived slight."

That development roughly mirrors the real-life feud between Cattrall, who has said of her working relationship with Sarah Jessica Parker that Parker "could have been nicer," and, in 2018, took to Instagram to reject Parker's expression of sympathy when Cattrall's brother, Chris, died.

But the new show's explanation roots the falling out in somewhat different reasons, Vanity Fair detailed:

"Carrie wanted to end her professional relationship with Samantha, who had been her book publicist; as a result, Samantha won't return Carrie's calls or text messages. She isn't speaking to Charlotte (Kristin Davis) or Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), either."

Longtime "SATC" writer-director Michael Patrick King, who writes and directs for the new series as well as serving as its showrunner, addressed the change of personnel at an event for the show's premiere in New York City, saying "there were a lot of emotional qualities that went into addressing the absence of Samantha," Vanity Fair detailed.

"I love Samantha," King went on to say. "We love Samantha. We know the fans love Samantha. So when Kim didn't want to do the show and didn't want to play Samantha anymore because of her own reasons, I had to find a way through the storytelling to respect what the fans felt about Samantha. Rather than ignore her, we still made her part of the story, and to honor Samantha."

The show's first season, which will consist of 10 episodes, will premiere on HBO Max on Dec. 9. The writers have, however, signaled their hope that Cattrall might yet have a change of heart and rejoin the fold for Season Two.

Though she's not part of "And Just Like That...," reports say that Cattrall has landed a new gig with a recurring part on Peacock's upcoming "Queer As Folk" reboot.