Following reports that Thandiwe Newton would be replaced by Salma Hayek in Magic Mike 3, a studio spokesperson has said that everything is as it should be.
The truth is that Thandiwe Newton’s decision to leave Magic Mike’s Last Dance was motivated by her desire to prioritize her family.
Though the star of Westworld was supposed to star with Channing Tatum in the highly anticipated sequel, Salma Hayek has taken her place.
In a statement to E! News, Warner Bros. Pictures, the film’s production company, said that Thandiwe had left the movie.
Thandie “made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters,” a studio spokesperson said on April 14.
(E! News reached out to Thandiwe’s representatives for comment.)
The latest development for the stripper-centric film, which is set to premiere on HBO Max, comes less than two weeks after production began in the United Kingdom.
Unlike the previous installments, the plot of Magic Mike’s Last Dance, according to the film’s screenwriter, Reid Carolin, will center on the female lead.
“It’s really about a woman stuck in a terrible strip show like the Chippendales and then realizing, ‘What the hell am I doing here?'” he told Variety in February. Then Magic Mike appears from the ceiling. She has the opportunity to go down the rabbit hole and ask herself, “What do I really want?”
During the same interview, Channing hinted that the lead would be “really strong, almost as strong as Mike.” We’ve never done a traditional love story before, and this isn’t one. “
Lester Cohen/Getty Images, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
That same month, the actor revealed that he almost didn’t return to the stage for the final dance.
During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Channing shared a shirtless photo of himself from Magic Mike XXL. That could be why I didn’t want to do a third one…
Because I have to look that way. “
