Was the original protagonist kicked out of ‘Magic Mike 3’ because of an argument with Channing Tatum over Will Smith?

This week “Magic Mike 3 – The Last Dance” is the (probably) last part of the popular stripper series in German cinemas. In it, Channing Tatum once again plays the titular lead, in this case heading to London to put together a variety show at a venerable theater at the behest of the filthy rich but equally lonely Maxandra (Salma Hayek). And even if Mike and Maxandra swear by their business relationship, of course things crackle between the duo as the story progresses.

As has been known for some time, Salma Hayek was not intended to be the lead actress for “Magic Mike 3” from the start. Originally, Thandiwe Newton was supposed to take over the role, but left the project after 11 (!) days. Why? A spokesman for revealed that Newton has decided to leave the movie due to family issues. Shortly afterwards, however, another report was circulated, which naturally attracted much more interest from the trade journals.

According to reports, there was a nasty disagreement behind the scenes between Thandiwe Newton and Channing Tatum. Rumor has it that the two actors had an explosive argument over Will Smith’s slap to the face of Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. As a result, Tatum is said to have ensured that Newton is no longer involved in “Magic Mike 3”. Director Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven”) has now commented on that.

Steven Soderbergh has this to say about the rumor

Talking to the Steven Soderbergh had this to say about the headlines: “Nothing I’ve ever seen about it is accurate and there’s really no benefit to anyone involved in tracking this down because it’s private. […] Everything I read publicly about it was wrong. I don’t think anyone sees any benefit in reporting this publicly. It becomes something that no one has control over. For now, it means keeping things private so we can control them. And I think it should stay that way for now.”

So what really happened we may never know. However, with Salma Hayek, a good replacement for Thandiwe Newton has definitely been found, which, in addition to all the headlines and rumors, leads to the very fundamental question: Is Magic Mike 3 even worth it? Moderator Sebastian and FILMSTARTS editors Pascal and Stefan ask themselves this question in the corresponding big screen love edition of the FILMSTARTS podcast. Feel free to listen: