Thandiwe Newton is to leave the cast of the new Magic Mike movie because of ‘family matters’, a statement from the film’s production company has confirmed.
Newton will be replaced by Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. – the studio which is producing Magic Mike’s Last Dance – said yesterday: “Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters."
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This latest film is set to be the third and last instalment of the popular series and will see Channing Tatum return to the role of stripper Mike Lane.
The hugely popular movie series is loosely based on Tatum’s own experiences working as a stripper in Florida.
Production for the movie recently started in London.
We don’t yet know anything about the plot of the new film, but it is to be released exclusively on HBO Max and has been written by returning screenwriter Reid Carolin, with Steven Soderbergh returning to his directorial role having helmed the first movie.
Hayek’s role is set to be an important one, with Carolin and Tatum both emphasising the importance of her character.
In an interview with Variety back in February, both said that the role is vital to the film.
Carolin said: “It’s really about a woman stuck at a horrible strip show like a Chippendales and then realizing, ‘What the hell am I doing here?'
“And then Magic Mike comes down from the ceiling. She gets to go down the rabbit hole and asks: ‘What do I really want?’”
Tatum went on to say that the character is ‘really strong, almost stronger than Mike’.
He added: “We’ve never done a traditional love story, and this isn’t a traditional love story.”
Hayek will have some big boots to fill as the franchise so far has been a runaway success.
Not only have the filmed grossed nearly $300 million at the box office, they’ve also spawned a huge following and a worldwide franchise of stage shows in cities such as Las Vegas, Berlin, and London.
Tatum also claimed that the movie will feature ‘the sickest dancing that we can possibly create’ and will be ‘the Super Bowl of stripper movies.’
He continued: “We’re going to swing for the fence,” he says. “I’m going to dance as hard as I’ve danced in any movie other than Hail, Caesar! [2016 Coen Brothers film]
“I want this movie to be filled with joy and fun. Everybody is like, ‘Less character, more dancing.’ So I’ve listened.”
Topics: TV and Film, Channing Tatum, Celebrity
Tom Wood