Actress Salma Hayek is replacing Thandiwe Newton for her role in Warner Bros.' Magic Mike's Last Dance. Newton was cast last December for an unknown lead role in the third film of the famous male-stripper film series.Magic Mike lead star Channing Tatum, original director Steven Soderbergh, and screenwriter Reid Carolin are all reuniting for the upcoming sequel - ominously hinting that this in fact will be the last film for the popular Warner Bros. franchise. Newton is an actress who is best known for her work in hit films such as Mission: Impossible 2, Crash, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and the HBO series Westworld. Currently, she is starring in the Amazon Prime original film All The Old Knives alongside co-star Chris Pine. Newton is also set to reprise her role as Maeve Millay for the upcoming 4th season of Westworld. On the other hand, Hayek is regarded as being an incredibly skilled dramatic actress.Hayek is most known for roles in films such as the Desperado franchise, From Dusk Till Dawn, Frida, and The Hitman's Bodyguard franchise. Although Hayek in her past filmography has mostly stayed within the drama genre, she is starting to branch out even further within her craft - dipping her toes into action and comedy. Hayek recently appeared in Marvel Studios' Eternals as well as Ridley Scott's House of Gucci. Now, Hayek is officially taking over Newton's role in Magic Mike 3 after a representative for Warner Bros. released a statement, saying, “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.”
A report by The Sun claimed Newton had been fired from Magic Mike 3 following a disagreement with Tatum about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. However, a representative for Newton released a statement calling the report "completely inaccurate." As for Hayek, her schedule was surprisingly less busy compared to Newton's, who is gearing up for her upcoming Westworld season 4 return as well as her upcoming voice role as Ginger in the Chicken Run sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Other than news of Tatum being involved of course, and now the addition of Hayek, no information has been given regarding who else will be joining them on-screen. Matthew McConaughey has offered to reprise his role as Dallas. Actor Joe Manganiello has announced that he’s retired from the franchise altogether. Either way, no matter what direction the film ends up taking, Hayek is a big win to have in any movie, especially one where you are replacing such a beloved actress. She has incredible versatility, charm, and a loyal fanbase as well, therefore she makes an excellent addition to such an established franchise as Magic Mike.Magic Mike's Last Dance is in production.Source: The Wrap, The Sun, Los Angeles Times