In a roundtable discussion featuring Steven Soderbergh and Zoe Kravitz regarding their forthcoming film KIMI the director talked about the highly anticipated third installment in the Magic Mike story, which is titled Magic Mike's Last Dance. Soderbergh also spoke about the need to encourage Channing Tatum to carry on the story. The film is in part inspired by Tatum's past as a stripper from Tampa, Florida.
Soderbergh directed Magic Mike, which was released in 2012. It was a massive hit with audiences and critics, who not just praised the sex appeal and dance sequences but also the script, direction and the performances. Tatum starred alongside Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey. Bomer and Manganiello were also back along with Tatum in the 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL, this time directed by Gregory Jacobs, who was the first assistant director for the first film. The sequel was another great success, both financially and critically.
In the days when Magic Mike was still just one of many concepts, Soderbergh remembers pointing to it as the project Tatum should focus on. He said that when Tatum presented his idea on the set of Haywire the idea immediately caught his interest. Later, when the story was finished, Soderbergh was eager to be involved in making the concept a possibility.
With a third movie coming soon, and which was announced in November and named Magic Mike's Last Dance , Soderbergh offered us a small preview of what we can expect in the finale. He stated that, while he was aware that his Magic Mike concept would be an enormous success, he didn't know that Tatum was looking to expand the scope of the film into a larger world, one that deals with masculinity, relationships and respect. The concept was further developed in the sequel.
"The third film is sort like the culmination of all that we've been talking about in this particular area. The dance isn't just taken to a new level, but really engaging in the aspect of relationships that has been an undercurrent in every film. Mike has a relationship that's central to this film, and all the while, everything else is taking place. We haven't done that before."
Although Last Dance could very well be Mike Lane's final dance, Soderbergh's return to the franchise is an exciting development. After the XXL sequel we've made it to the top, however, there's more to be revealed about Mike's life story.