Advertisement

‘Magic Mike 3’ in the Works With Channing Tatum and Director Steven Soderbergh

Rebecca Rubin
·3 min read

Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh will reunite for “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” the third installment in the Warner Bros. male stripper saga.

The film isn’t playing in theaters and instead will premiere directly on HBO Max, the streaming service owned by WarnerMedia. Reid Carolin, who wrote the first two movies, is returning to pen the newest entry about Tatum’s character Mike Lane. Though plot details for the next chapter have not been revealed, it’s expected to wrap a bow on the trilogy.

More from Variety

“Magic Mike XXL” director Gregory Jacobs is producing “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” with Carolin, Nick Wechsler and Peter Kiernan.

Tatum confirmed the news on Twitter, sharing a picture of his script with the caption,” Well world, looks like Mike Lane’s tapping back in.” He elaborated on his excitement in a statement to Variety, writing, “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.”

“Magic Mike” is loosely based on Tatum’s experiences as an 18-year-old stripper in Tampa, Fla. The original 2012 movie proved to be more than a shameless cash-grab for audiences to watch a shirtless Tatum, accompanied by muscular co-stars Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Matthew McConaughey, bump and grind on screen. It also became a surprise critical and commercial success, earning $167 million at the box office and scoring sterling reviews for Tatum and Soderbergh.

A sequel, “Magic Mike XXL,” was released in 2015 without Soderbergh at the helm. Still, with Jacobs’ direction and Tatum’s abs, the movie was well received and generated $120 million globally.

“Is there anybody on screen more charismatic and appealing than Magic Mike?” said Toby Emmerich, the chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “We’re thrilled to be back in business with Channing, Steven and their creative team to bring back Magic Mike’s wonderful combination of dance, drama, romance and humor.”

The franchise proved to be lucrative beyond the big screen. Tatum later conceived and co-directed “Magic Mike Live” in Vegas, which expanded internationally with sold-out shows in London, Berlin and Australia. The immersive, acrobatic spectacular recently announced its first North American tour, with stops planned in Nashville and Miami.

That’s not all. The live shows inspired the upcoming HBO Max reality competition series “Finding Magic Mike,” premiering on Dec. 16. The show follows 10 men who have “lost their magic” as they bare their souls and learn to perform dance routines. The winner will be awarded a cash prize and a chance to perform on the “Magic Mike Live” stage in Vegas.

It was “Magic Mike Live” in Vegas that eventually enticed Soderbergh back into what Tatum has dubbed “the stripperverse.”

“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. Mike Lane’s dream of connecting people through dance must be realized,” Soderbergh said.

Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.