Steven Soderbergh, who directed the original Magic Mike in 2012, is returning as director for the franchise’s third movie. The writer behind every movie of the series, Reid Carolin, is also returning to complete the trilogy. Gregory Jacob, director of Magic Mike XXL, is back as a producer alongside Carolin, Nick Wechsler and Peter Kiernan.
“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,” said Tatum in an interview with Deadline. “The stripperverse will never be the same.”
The movie tells the story of Mike Lane, also known as Magic Mike, a women-wooing male stripper with a passion to dance. The character is based on Tatum’s own story of working as a stripper before fame in Florida.
“Is there anybody on screen more charismatic and appealing than Magic Mike?” said Chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group Toby Emmerich. “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 has been a surprising success, grossing almost $300 million worldwide between the two films despite their low combined budget of just under $22 million.
Magic Mike is returning!
‘MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE’ is in development at HBO Max
The Magic Mike brand is so famous that it inspired the creation of a stage show titled Magic Mike Live, originally launched in Las Vegas. The show has attracted so many viewers that it has reached the likes of England, Germany and Australia, with a North American tour coming in 2022.
In fact, it was the live show that inspired the third installation of Magic Mike, according to Soderbergh: “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.”
The success of the live shows inspired the creation of a reality show coming to HBO Max on Dec. 16 called Finding Magic Mike, executive produced by Tatum and Soderbergh. The competition aims to teach 10 men who “lost their magic” how to dance until a winner is crowned with a cash prize and an opportunity to dance in Magic Mike Live.
