Kim Cattrall stokes Sex and City fever

FANS of Sex and the City were kept guessing yesterday by star Kim Cattrall when she was asked if there would be a third movie based on the hit TV series.

The British-born Hollywood star was appearing on the GMTV sofa to promote her theatre debut in Antony and Cleopatra.

Cattrall, 53, who plays Samantha Jones in the TV and movie series, said "Who knows?" when asked by Emma Crosby if the characters would return to the big screen.

She added: "I don't know. I haven't heard anything."

The Golden Globe winner said she was focusing on her role in Shakespeare's epic tragedy at Liverpool Playhouse in October.

She said: "It is one of the great roles ever written for a woman of a certain age and I wasn't going to let it go by."

The actress, who was born in Liverpool but raised in Canada, said her Cleopatra would be "different" to Elizabeth Taylor's legendary film portrayal.

There were also comparisons between the role, considered Shakespeare's strongest for a female, and that of sex-mad Samantha.

Cattrall said: "I think they were both very strong women.

"The biggest difference is that Cleopatra had two men in her life, Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, and Samantha had countless men.

"Samantha is iconic. She's a female Dionysus - really enjoys life. I love strong women. I'm drawn to them.

"It's a challenge to play strong women because each one is uniquely different."

Cattrall returned to Liverpool last year to trace her family roots for the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? programme. She is also a patron of the city's Foundation for Art and Creative Technology.