And Just Like That boss Michael Patrick King has opened up about why he felt now was the right time for Aidan Shaw to return to the franchise.
Fans of the Sex And The City reboot were left stunned earlier this year when it was revealed that John Corbett would be reprising his role from the original series as Carrie Bradshaw’s ex.
He is set to appear in the forthcoming second series of And Just Like That, which launches on Now on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of Aidan’s return, Michael explained that Carrie needed a new direction after the death of her husband Big in the first season.
“You need something to frame on. That would be Aidan,” Michael told Vogue. “I didn’t know what [exactly], I just knew that that was big — no pun intended — for the audience.”
He also described Carrie and Aidan as a “perfect, imperfect match”, but refused to be drawn on whether the two would reignite their spark.
However, he said of the dialogue between them: “When it’s odd, Parker can get her hand in it like a mountain climber, find a crack and lift up on it.”
While Michael didn’t confirm a romantic reunion for the characters, it was heavily suggested that this would be the case in a photo announcing Aidan’s return as the pair filmed scenes earlier this year.
Aidan became a love interest for Carrie after first appearing in season three of Sex And The City, which originally aired from 1998 to 2004.
He also made an appearance in the movie Sex And The City 2, where he ran into Carrie at a market in Abu Dhabi.
Prior to an official announcement of Aidan’s return, it had been reported by Deadline that the character is “set for a substantial, multi-episode arc”.
Aidan won’t be the only familiar face popping up in the new series, though.
One of SATC’s original main cast members Kim Cattrall is set to reprise her role as Samantha Jones for a cameo appearance in one of the episodes, after previously not featuring in plans for the reboot.
Season two of And Just Like That begins streaming on Thursday on NOW.