‘Magic Mike 2’ Casting News: Matthew McConaughey Officially NOT Returning for Sequel, Film Is ‘Very Different’ From Original & Has No Room For Oscar Winner? [VIDEO]
While several of the original actors initially confirmed they would be reprising their roles in the upcoming Magic Mike: XXL, the ones who had huge question marks over their faces are now being confirmed as having passed on the wildly anticipated film.
In an interview with The Playlist, sequel director Greg Jacobs confirmed that Matthew McConaughey, who portrayed strip club owner Dallas in the original film, would not be back for the sequel, but wouldn't give an official reason-though he did confirm that the plot does follow a road trip storyline, which could be the reason the character was cut.
'What am I allowed to say?" he said in the interview after confirming the sequel would be "very different" from the first film. "It's a road trip movie and put it this way, it's different enough that once you see it you'll understand why we made a sequel. No one will be accusing us of making the same movie twice."
Cody Horn Confirms She Won't Return For 'Magic Mike' Sequel
In addition to McConaughey's character potentially just not fitting in the new storyline, his character and Channing Tatum's star stripper Magic Mike weren't on the best of terms when the first film ended-with Mike appearing to quit the club-meaning his presence would require some major explaining in a sequel.
According to Screen Rant, there could also be a more practical reason for his character's absence from the film. McConaughey is currently filming Gus van Sant's new drama, The Sea of Trees, and may have had scheduling conflicts that prevented him from returning for the new film.
However, co-star Gabriel Iglesias alleged back in June that McConaughey wouldn't probably come back for the sequel because he has since become an Oscar Winner-meaning he's worth more money and was engaged in a pay dispute with the producers.
"He's worth a lot of money," Iglesias said at the time. "That whole Oscar thing, the nerve right?"
And while the word still isn't out on the potential return of Alex Pettyfer's character Adam, Cody Horn, who portrayed his sister (and Mike's love interest) Brooke in the first film, recently confirmed she also wouldn't be back for the second movie because there was just no room for a girlfriend character this time around.
"I'm not in it," she said at the Estee Lauder Modern Muse Event on September 3. "The story to the sequel was kind of always around, and there's no room for a girlfriend in that."
"Of course I'm bummed, but we spent a lot of time talking about it, and I completely agree that it does not make sense to have Brooke in this movie," she added.
Magic Mike: XXL opens in theaters July 1, 2015.