Ever since Steven Soderbergh’s interest in the franchise petered out, Channing Tatum has been the keeper of the Magic Mike flame. The actor, who says he’s ready for some downtime, i.e., directing, led the charge of the sexy brigade in Magic Mike XXL, which gave the world a shirtless, crooning Donald Glover to go with all the oiled-up gyrating. The sequel also represented a turning point for the franchise, in which the female gaze became the entry point-of-view. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Tatum’s preparing to flesh out the theme with two ersatz sequels.
We learned about the Magic Mike Live show in Las Vegas back in May, which has been crowdsourcing new definitions of sexy. Matthew McConaughey hasn’t (yet) been asked to undulate to some KISS music, but Tatum is set to direct the all-male revue with his Magic Mike choreographer Alison Faulk. And he tells THR that he wants this next act in the stripper saga to be “a man and woman having a conversation about sex and themselves and who we all are. That’s the next step I would like to take with the story.”
And sure, it’s still awfully heteronormative, but Tatum’s just so gosh-darned earnest about wanting to know what you like, so maybe he’ll update the show as it goes on. He’ll have a premium opportunity to do so with the Magic Mike Broadway musical, which is a real thing that’s going to happen and not one of McConaughey’s ripped-from-the-bong-water ideas. Tatum would not reveal just what the Magic Mike musical will entail, but he did tease that the script is in progress, with a “‘brilliant, brilliant’ director” already attached. Here’s one scene that’s readily adaptable:
Additionally, the Hail, Caesar! star said he’s been “slowing down the acting side” so he can indulge his creative side behind the camera as a director. But before he gets to remaking Citizen Kane, Tatum will debut his own vodka brand, Born & Bred.