‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’: Salma Hayek Replaces Thandiwe Newton In Third Film

The third installment of the “Magic Mike” saga is finally coming together thanks to HBO Max. The stripping flick reunites screenwriter Reid Carolin, director Steven Soderbergh, and star Channing Tatum. However, there is a bit of a change-up with the film’s female lead. 

Instead of Thandiwe Newton (“Westworld,” “All The Old Knives“) acting opposite Tatum in “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” Variety now reveals that the actress has exited the project and will focus on dealing with “family matters.” Taking her place will be veteran actress Salma Hayek, who was seen last year in Chloe Zhao‘s superhero movie “Eternals” and Ridley Scott‘s crime biopic “House of Gucci.” 

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Hayek’s character is expected to be a non-traditional love interest for Mike and the movies are loosely based on Tatum’s own experience working in the world of exotic dancing before making it big in Hollywood. Set in the U.K., sources have told us that this is mostly a new ensemble and we shouldn’t be expecting to see old “Magic Mike” cast members and certainly not Matthew McConaughey despite his many, “Hey Channing Tatum, call me,” posts on Instagram, trying to instigate his return.

Carolin also gave some idea of what to expect from “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” during a February interview with Variety to promote Tatum’s directorial debut “Dog.”

“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?’,” Carolin said of the new sequel.

In an interview with Reid earlier this year, he told The Playlist it might be the closest Soderbergh’s ever come to making a musical. If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, well it follows the adventures of Mike, an experienced male stripper and dancer, his friends, and his goals to make a business and life outside the industry.

Production on the final film is currently taking place in the United Kingdom. The first two modestly budgeted feature films grossed nearly $300 million at the global box office and they have spawned a popular live stage show franchise playing in London, Las Vegas, Berlin, and Australia.