Steven Soderbergh to shoot and edit Magic Mike sequel; plus plot details

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

I’ll be the first to admit that I initially had little interest in Channing Tatum‘s acting career. He just didn’t do anything for me. Then a little flick called 21 JUMP STREET hit and I thought the man was funny as hell, and had great chemistry with co-star Jonah Hill. I appreciate an actor who’s not afraid to poke fun at himself, and as I read up on the man, I found his life story pretty fascinating. When the semi-autobiographical MAGIC MIKE was released, I shamelessly gave it a watch and enjoyed the sneak peak behind the world of male strippers. Given it’s low-budget roots and worldwide gross, I suppose it was only a matter of time before a sequel or knock-off came our way. Fortunately for us, it seems to be the former, and Mr. Tatum has dropped some details in regards to a plot. It looks as though the sequel (currently titled MAGIC MIKE XXL) will revolve around a road trip tour of stripper conventions.

Here’s what Tatum had to say regarding the conventions to be in the sequel:

The women would come from miles and miles around. Then you lock the doors and you say all bets are off. It gets zany and crazy, and it’s a wild ride. It’s an incubator for insanity. It doesn’t matter almost what you do onstage. I don’t want to put anything in black and white on a page, but if you’ve been to one, you know how crazy it gets, and now pour kerosene on that. You’ve seen Magic Mike—now multiply that. Mob mentality. It’s just exponentially crazier. I thought it was absolutely insane.”

Also fortunately for us, the film will be directed by a producing partner of Soderbergh’s, Greg Jacobs. In case you might be worried it wont have that “Soderbergh touch”, Soderbergh will be the camera operator, director of photography and editor on the MAGIC MIKE sequel. Think that’s close enough?

Steven Soderbergh‘s directorial style is something that’s grown on me. The Oceans films never really grabbed me, but his character pieces (ERIN BROCKOVICH, SOLARIS, SIDE EFFECTS) I found fascinating. Soderbergh has a very “matter of fact” way of shooting his films that don’t glamorize; they simply show the scenes or character as they are. It’s not an aspect that’ll instantly blow you away, but it’s one I’ve come to appreciate with his films. While Soderbergh says he’s retired from the directing gig, it’s nice to see sticking with cinematography and editing, at least for the time being.

MAGIC MIKE XXL is currently slated to start filming this fall.