In contrary to WB's statement which announces the actress' exit due to 'family matters,' sources say the 'Westworld' star is axed from 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' after a bust-up with the lead actor over the Oscars slap.
- Apr 14, 2022
AceShowbiz - Thandiwe Newton has lost her role in "Magic Mike's Last Dance", but seemingly not because of the obvious reason. After Warner Bros. confirmed the actress' exit due to "family matters," sources from the production have begged to differ.
According to The Sun, Newton did not voluntarily drop out of the project, but she was fired after an alleged row with Channing Tatum which became "unimaginably vicious." Words are the British actress and the lead actor/producer of the film had a serious bust-up over the Oscars slap.
Details of their argument were unclear, but it reportedly escalated to "astonishing" levels to the point that Tatum drove off in a car. One witness told the outlet that the two stars were arguing on set at Paddington West London last week.
"Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set. Thandiwe Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it's all over," the alleged crew member told a pal. "They fell out over the debacle at The Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation."
"It was a tense exchange of words, but suddenly it escalated - Channing got into this car and he disappeared," the source recalled. "After the row he just went, 'I am not working with her anymore.' Him being a producer, it's his movie, so she's off the movie."
Following Newton's exit, the source complained, "Everything we've shot for the last 11 days has to be reshot with a new cast member." As to how director Steven Soderbergh handled the issue, the source said, "He didn't take a side. He was trying to calm things down but he's a very quiet man."
Prior to her exit, Newton reportedly had been acting like a diva on set. She was reportedly "very demanding" before the row. "Everyone on set found her challenging to work with. She's an absolute diva," the crew member said. "I've watched her have a go at the first assistant director, her costume girl. She's always ranting and raving about something."
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Pictures announced on Wednesday, April 13 that Salma Hayek has been brought in to replace Newton in the undisclosed role. "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 spokesperson for the studio said in a statement.
Serving as a sequel to 2015's "Magic Mike XXL", the third movie is set to be released on HBO Max. Screenwriter Reid Carolin said in February of the lead female role, "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?"
