‘Sex and the City 2’

CAST: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Miley Cyrus, Penélope Cruz and Liza Minnelli. Written and directed by Michael Patrick King.

BACK STORY: “I knew what I wanted the tone to be before I came up with the idea,” King says. “The first film I felt had to be emotional and epic and have heartbreak in it. This one I wanted to be a big summer party, more along the road pictures of the ‘30s. I thought of the [economic] depression we’re in and wanted to make a fun escapist movie.”

So where do Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda go on their road trip? Think hot. Think sand, lots of sand. Think . . . the Middle East? “You really do realize how far apart the Middle East and four New York women are. Hence, my story,” says King, who declines to enumerate any specific plot points, though he notes, “We were in [Morocco] for eight weeks. We filmed on the exact same dunes as they did for ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ ”

Unlike in New York, where Parker and the gang create pandemonium every time they step out in character, the Moroccans were a tad less wowed. “The camels seemed to be thrilled, but there was no one [else around] but us. We were in a Muslim community. It’s not like ‘ Sex and the City’ is playing on a loop in a bar there. They know the girls, but it’s covert, wink-wink.”

FILM CLIP: The film was originally supposed to shoot in Dubai, a city and culture King had researched. But as King says in ‘SATC’ lingo, “Let’s just say, the movie went on a date with Dubai and Dubai didn’t necessarily think we should go out again.”