'Sex and the City' headed to movie theaters

The four women who spiced up Manhattan's singles scene for six years on the HBO television series "Sex and the City" appear headed for a big-screen reunion after all.

New Line Cinema, a corporate sibling of HBO under Time Warner Inc., is close to sealing a final deal to finance and distribute the long-stalled picture, a spokesman for the studio said on Thursday.

The project is set to begin shooting in the fall with all four stars of the HBO hit -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon -- on board to reprise their roles.

Longtime series executive producer Michael Patrick King will direct the film from his own script and serve as producer, along with Parker and series creator Darren Star.

While no release date has been set, the movie presumably would arrive in theaters sometime next year.

Plans for a movie were first revealed by HBO in early 2004, months before the show ended its six-season run.