Actress Thandiwe Newton was allegedly fired from the new “Magic Mike” film after getting into an argument with Channing Tatum over Will Smith’s Oscars slap, according to The Sun.
Witnesses said that Tatum and Newton’s argument reached “astonishing” and “unimaginably vicious” levels, leading to Tatum storming off the set, reported The Sun. The fight reportedly took place on the West London location of “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” but there are no specific details on which side each actor took over Will Smith’s now-infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, the PageSix noted.
Newton has denied that she was fired, according to the Guardian. Her representatives told the outlet that The Sun’s coverage of the story was “completely inaccurate.” (RELATED: Will Smith’s ‘Slapgate’ Has Fractured Both Political Parties)
“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 Warner Brothers told Variety. Newton will be replaced by Salma Hayek, according to the outlet.
Salma Hayek has replaced Thandiwe Newton in “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” starring Channing Tatum. Reid Carolin is returning as screenwriter along w/OG Steven Soderbergh back at the helm. “Magic Mike 3” will release exclusively on HBO Max
(Source Variety) pic.twitter.com/glpAtj0DIF
— Cultjer (@cultjer) April 14, 2022
“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,” a crew member reportedly said, The Sun continued. “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.”
Tatum apparently stormed off the set, saying “I am not working with her anymore,” according to The Sun’s on-set source. The same source said that director Steven Soderbergh attempted to deescalate the situation, and did not pick a side in the fight, The Sun reported.