Thandiwe Newton Denies ‘Magic Mike’ Exit Due to Channing Tatum Fight

Thandiwe Newton has denied reports that she was let go from Magic Mike’s Last Dance after a stormy exchange with Channing Tatum over Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. In a statement, a spokesperson for the actress said, “This report is completely inaccurate.” A Warner Bros. representative told Entertainment Tonight that Newton chose to leave the London set after 11 days “to deal with family matters.”

Those statements follow an April 13 report by the Sun that claimed Newton was terminated from the film after a “tense exchange of words” escalated into an “unimaginably vicious” confrontation with Tatum. The actors reportedly clashed over the incident, in which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after he made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s balding head. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia.

According to the Sun, a crew member allegedly divulged that “Channing got into this car and he disappeared” after the dispute. “People looked at each other and thought, ‘Wait, we’re supposed to be filming,’” the source said. “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. “She’s gone. For the last 11 days, everything we’ve shot has to be reshot with a new cast member.”

“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 source added. The Sun reported that the incident is believed to have occurred last week. In daily emails, crew members were informed that the shooting had been postponed for 24 hours. Some freelance crew members claim to have lost $5,000 due to the outburst.  Salma Hayek is reportedly set to replace Newton in Magic Mike’s Last Dance.

Tatum announced Magic Mike’s Last Dance in November 2021, tweeting a screenshot of the script’s first page. “Well world, looks like Mike Lane’s tapping back in,” he wrote with the image. He also released a statement about the film, saying, “There are no words for how excited I am to blow the doors off of the world of Magic Mike with Steven, Greg, Reid, and the amazing people at HBO Max. The stripperverse will never be the same.”

Director Steven Soderbergh said the live show in Las Vegas, which debuted in 2017, convinced him to return. “As soon as I saw what Channing, Reid, and the Magic Mike choreographic team did with the live show, I said we have to make another movie,”noted Soderbergh in a press release. “Mike Lane’s dream of connecting people through dance must be realized!”