And just like that, the upcoming “Sex and the City” sequel series has a new star.
Former “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Sara Ramírez will join the cast of “And Just Like That…” alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon as a series regular.
Ramírez “stars as “Che Diaz” (they/them), a nonbinary, queer, stand-up comedian that hosts a podcast on which Carrie Bradshaw is regularly featured,” reads a description of Ramírez’s character in a Wednesday press release.
“Che is a big presence with a big heart whose outrageous sense of humor and progressive, human overview of gender roles has made them and their podcast very popular.”
Ramírez is best known for playing Dr. Callie Torres on “Grey’s Anatomy.” In 2016, the actor came out as bisexual and last year announced they are nonbinary.
“And Just Like That…” Executive Producer Michael Patrick King said he is “thrilled” Ramírez has signed on to the project, which will stream on HBO Max.
“Everyone at ‘And Just Like That…’ is beyond thrilled that a dynamically talented actor such as Sara Ramírez has joined the ‘Sex and the City’ family,” he said in a press statement. “Sara is a one-of-a-kind talent, equally at home with comedy and drama — and we feel excited and inspired to create this new character for the show.”
“And Just Like That…” will revisit the show’s main characters, who are now in their 50s. Kim Cattrall, who earned five Emmy nominations for her role in “Sex and the City” as Samantha, is not expected to appear, an absence that has left some fans less-than-thrilled.
“Happy to see you back but will miss Kim/Samantha,” a fan commented when Parker posted on Instagram about the new series back in January.
“We will too. We loved her so,” Parker responded.
Parker has previously said the show was not necessarily going to replace Cattrall with a fourth cast member to make a new quartet.
“It’s not quite as black-and-white as that,” she told TMZ in January. “We’re not looking to create a fourth character.”
It remains to be seen how Samantha’s omission from the series will be handled.
“Friendships fade, and new friendships start. So I think it is all very indicative of the real stages, the actual stages of life,” HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys told TVLine in February.
“They’re trying to tell an honest story about being a woman in her 50s in New York. So it should all feel somewhat organic, and the friends that you have when you’re 30, you may not have when you’re 50.”
While Cattrall is not expected to return, other actors have expressed an interest in stepping back into their characters.
“If they wanted to have me, I’d do ‘Sex and the City’ again,” Justin Theroux (who played two characters in the original series) told E! News in March.
Kyle MacLachlan, meanwhile, is in the dark if he’ll be asked to reprise his role as Trey.
“So far I haven’t heard anything,” he told TODAY in April.
This article originally appeared on TODAY.com.
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