According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar nominee Salma Hayek has officially signed on to star opposite Channing Tatum in HBO Max’s Magic Mike’s Last Dance, which is the third installment in the franchise. Hayek will be replacing Westworld star Thandiwe Newton for the female lead as filming begins in London. Newton decided to exit the project due to personal reasons concerning family matters.
Hayek recently starred in last year’s Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Eternals, and House of Gucci. Her next feature for this year will be the upcoming Puss in Boots: The Last Wish movie, where she will once again voice the role of Kitty Softpaws.
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Magic Mike 3 is directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay written by Reid Carolin. Further details about its plot and characters are still being kept under wraps. As of now, only Channing Tatum is the only confirmed returning original cast member.
Loosely inspired by Tatum’s own experiences as a stripper, the films previously starred Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Gabriel Iglesias, Adam Rodriguez, and more. The franchise currently has a combined worldwide gross of nearly $300 million.
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Magic Mike’s Last Dance is produced by Carolin, Nick Wechsler, and Peter Kiernan. Unlike the first two films, the third installment will officially be foregoing a theatrical distribution, and will instead be heading directly to HBO Max.
