Last year, "Sex and the City" fans were devastated to hear that a planned third film based on the hit television series had been in the works -- but was not moving forward. Lost in the shuffle of all the drama surrounding that announcement was what, exactly, that threequel would have focused on. Now, several cast members are sharing some scoop about the script, and the huge shocker it would have dropped on audiences.

On his "Origins" podcast, host James Andrew Miller did some digging about "SATC 3," and discovered what was set to put the film's plot in motion: Mr. Big (Chris Noth) dies, leaving a devastated Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) to recover, with the help of her best friends Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis).

According to Miller's sources, that story choice was the major reason why Catrall -- who famously declared she was done playing Samantha, effectively killing the franchise -- decided to bail on the film.

"People close to Kim believe that the script didn't have a lot to offer the character of Samantha," Miller said on the podcast. "They point to the fact that it calls for Mr. Big to die of a heart attack in the shower, relatively early on in the film, making the remainder of the movie more about how Carrie recovers from Big's death than about the relationship between the four women."

According to Parker, who spoke with Miller for "Origins," she reached out to Cattrall's management team "many, many, many, many" times about the film, trying to convince Cattrall to get on board. Parker recalled that she wrote to Cattrall and said, "I hope that when you read this script, you'll see the beauty, the joy, the heartbreak in it that I see, that we have seen."

"But I can't force her to see it," Parker continued. "We did negotiate through the process and ultimately the studio said, 'We can't meet those asks of hers. We're not able to do it. The economics don't make sense for us.' So then it's over. But that's not a character assassination. That's just the way business works."

Cattrall declined to be interviewed for the podcast, telling Miller through her representative that "she felt she had no more to say about 'Sex and the City.'" We wonder, though, with this latest revelation, if the vocal actress may change her tune and chime in after all.

Listen to the entire podcast here.

[via: Origins, h/t The Hollywood Reporter]