In a roundtable discussion with Steven Soderbergh and Zoe Kravitz about their film KIMI The director discussed the anticipated third installment of the Magic Mike storyline, titled Magic Mike's Last Dance. Soderbergh also discussed encouraging Channing Tatum to keep telling the story. It is in part in part, inspired by Tatum's previous work as stripper from Tampa, Florida.
Soderbergh directed Magic Mike, which was released in 2012. Magic Mike was a big success with critics and audiences who not only praised the sexy attraction and dance sequences but also the script, direction and performances. Tatum appeared alongside Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey. Bomer and Manganiello would also return alongside Tatum for the sequel to Magic Mike XXL, this time directed by Gregory Jacobs, who was the first assistant director on the first film. The sequel was a huge financial and critical success.
When Magic Mike was still just one idea among many concepts, Soderbergh remembers pointing to it as the project Tatum should focus on. He explained that when Tatum pitched his idea at the filming of Haywire and it instantly got his attention. Later, when the story was completed, Soderbergh was eager to join in to make the concept an actual possibility.
With a third movie in the works, which was that was announced in November, with the title Magic Mike's Last Dance, Soderbergh offered us a small glimpse of what to expect in the final. He said that although he was sure that the Magic Mike concept would be an enormous success, he didn't know that Tatum was looking to expand the universe of the film into a larger world, one that deals with relationships, masculinity and respect, which expanded in the second film.
"The third film is sort like the culmination of all that we've been discussing in this area. Magic Mike's Last Dance movie isn't just taken to the next level, but actually getting into the aspect of relationships that has been a major theme in all of the films. Mike is in a relationship in the middle of the movie, while everything else is happening. Magic Mike's Last Dance review isn't the first time that we've done this."
While Last Dance could very well be Mike Lane's final dance, Soderbergh's return to the franchise is an exciting development. Following the XXL sequel we've made it to the top of the mountain, but it seems there's still more to learn about Mike's life story.