‘Magic Mike 3’ Taps Salma Hayek After Thandiwe Newton Departure

Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek has been tapped to be part of the new “Magic Mike” sequel after its original female lead, Thandiwe Newton, abruptly departed the project.

The 55-year-old Hollywood actress’ casting was first announced by Variety Wednesday after receiving confirmation from the studio behind the movie through a spokesperson.

The spokesperson noted that Hayek will be replacing Newton, 49, because the latter has opted to step away from the project while dealing with personal matters.

“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,” the studio rep told the outlet.

Production had already started in London before Hayek was tapped to fill in for Newton, so it’s not clear how the writers would deal with the sudden change. It is worth noting that plot details about the third “Magic Mike” film are still unknown at this time, as per Deadline.

Hayek was most recently seen in Marvel’s “Eternals” as Ajak, the leader of the immortal extraterrestrial superheroes in the flick.

“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” is being produced exclusively for HBO Max. Reid Carolin is returning as screenwriter after penning the scripts for the first two installments in the franchise. She was also part of Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci.” Additionally, Hayek is among the voice actors behind the upcoming “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”

As for Newton, she is currently starring in Amazon Studios’ “All the Old Knives” alongside Chris Pine. Last year, she appeared in the Warner Bros. sci-fi/thriller “Reminiscence” alongside Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson.

Steven Soderbergh, who directed the first movie, is taking the helm for the upcoming sequel that is expected to bring closure to the trilogy. Gregory Jacobs, who directed the second installment “Magic Mike XXL,” is still part of the project as a producer, alongside Carolin, Nick Wechsler and Peter Kiernan.

Channing Tatum is reprising the titular role of Mike Lane, who is actually based on the actor’s own experiences as a stripper in Florida before finding fame and success in the showbiz industry.

The original “Magic Mike” raked in $167 million at the box office. The second film also performed well since it brought the combined global gross of the franchise to almost $300 million.