'Sex and the City' heads to theaters

New Line, HBO team on film version of series

By MICHAEL FLEMING

New Line Cinema is getting in bed with HBO on “Sex and the City.”

After much foreplay, the feature version of the long-running HBO series is gearing for a fall start, with New Line near a deal to finance and distribute.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon are all set to reprise their roles, with longtime exec producer Michael Patrick King directing a script he wrote.

King will produce with Parker, John Melfi and Darren Star, the latter of whom hatched the series, based on autobiographical columns written by Candace Bushnell.

Fans of the show have clamored for a film version of “Sex and the City” since the series ended.

The pic got close to happening about two years ago, but progress halted when Cattrall backed away. She wanted script control and a salary close to that of Parker, who was more highly paid than the others because she was co-executive producer of the series. Whatever tensions existed are gone now, sources said. Cattrall has a deal she’s happy with, one the sources said gives her input on her scenes, a fat salary and a future series deal with HBO.

There have long been rumors that supporting cast members like Chris Noth would take part, but New Line has not locked in any such deals.

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968051.html

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