Amber Heard In, Matthew McConaughey Out Of 'Magic Mike XXL'

Matthew McConaughey will not be reprising his role as strip club owner Dallas in the upcoming sequel to Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL. The 2015 film may have lost one of its biggest stars but it's certainly making up for it by casting actresses such as Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Matthew Mcconaughey at 4th Annual Critics' Awards in June 2014.

The news of McConaughey's departure came as something of a shock to fans of the 2012 film as its star Channing Tatum had previously promised the whole cast would be returning. However, in a recent interview with Indiewire, Magic Mike XXL director Greg Jacobs announced McConaughey would not be reprising his role.

The original film followed Adam (Alex Pettyfer), a college dropout, as he attempted to find work in Florida. He bumps into Mike (Channing Tatum) who introduces him to the seedy world of male stripping. Also starring were Matt Bomer (White Collar) and Joe Manganiello (True Blood) as Mike and Adam's fellow strippers.

Watch: The Magic Mike Movie Trailer.

Amber Heard at the Texas Hall of Fame Awards in March 2014.

However, the plot of the upcoming film promises to be entirely different as director Jacobs emphasised. In the interview with Indiewire, Jacobs said "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."

Although McConaughey is surely a loss to the sequel, there are a number of new faces set to join the XXL's cast. Actress Amber Heard, best known for her roles in Machete Kills and for being Johnny Depp's fiancé, will be starring in the sequel in an unknown role. According to The Wrap, she will be joined by Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Reloaded).

Filming for Magic Mike XXL is reportedly underway and the film is expected to be released in US cinemas on 1st July 2015 and in the UK on 7th August 2015.

Channing Tatum at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2014.