SUBMITTED BY pimpjoe_esb

July 5, 2007 — New Line Cinema is getting in bed with HBO on "Sex and the City," reports Variety.

After much foreplay, the movie 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 movie version of "Sex and the City" since the series ended.

The film got close to happening about two years ago, but progress halted when Cattrall backed away. She wanted script controls 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 shes happy with, one the sources said gives her input on her scenes, a fat salary and a future series deal with HBO.

While there have long been rumors that supporting cast members like Chris Noth would take part, those deals are expected to become clearer once New Line begins locking in deals.