During a roundtable interview with Steven Soderbergh and Zoe Kravitz about their upcoming film KIMI the director discussed the anticipated third installment in the Magic Mike story, titled Magic Mike's Last Dance. Soderbergh also spoke about the need to encourage Channing Tatum to carry on the story, which is in part inspired by Tatum's past as stripper from Tampa, Florida.
Soderbergh was the director of Magic Mike, which was released in 2012. Magic Mike's Last Dance movie was a big hit with audiences and critics, who not just praised the sex appeal and dance sequences but also the script, direction, and 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 also a great success, both financially and critically.
When Magic Mike was still just one idea in a sea of ideas, Soderbergh remembers pointing to it as the film Tatum should concentrate on. He explained that when Tatum pitched his idea in the setting of Haywire, it immediately attracted his attention. When the story was completed, Soderbergh was eager to get on board to make the concept an actual realisation.
With a third film coming soon, and announced in November named Magic Mike's Last Dance, Soderbergh gave us a little preview of what we can expect in the final. He stated that, while he was sure that about the Magic Mike concept would be an enormous success, he didn't realize that Tatum was keen on expanding the world of the film to a wider realm, one dealing with masculinity, relationships and respect. This was expanded in the second film.
"The third film is sort of the culmination of everything we've been discussing in that subject. It's not just about taking the dance to the next stage, but also engaging in the aspect of relationships that has been a major theme in all of the films. Mike has a romantic relationship that's in the middle of the movie, while the rest is taking place. We haven't done that before."
While Last Dance could very well be Mike Lane's final dance, Soderbergh's return to the series is a thrilling development. After the XXL sequel we've made it to the top, but there's more to be revealed about Mike's story.