Ladies, rejoice! Gentlemen, shudder. Magic Mike is returning to theatres next year.
One of 2012’s most surprisingly huge successes, the original Magic Mike was a Channing Tatum-starring dramedy vaguely inspired by the actor’s real-life experience as a male stripper, taking a greenhorn Alex Pettyfer under his wing as a partying protege. Despite a barely-existent budget, the movie grossed almost $175 million worldwide, leaving Tatum and the studio pushing for a sequel.
Well, that sequel is officially happening. Warner Bros. has just slotted in the follow-up, tentatively titled, ‘Magic Mike XXL‘, for a release on July 3rd, 2015. This essentially has it competing with anticipated sci-fi reboot, Terminator: Genesis, which opens in theatres on July 1st of that year.
Greg Jacobs will direct Magic Mike XXL, taking over for the first movie’s director, Steven Soderbergh. Jacobs is a regular assistant director to Soderbergh, having also helped with the production of the Ocean’s trilogy, Contagion, Behind the Candelabra, and virtually anything else that Soderbergh has helmed. Magic Mike XXL marks Jacobs’ first mainstream primary directing credit.
Currently, Tatum is the only confirmed member of the cast, though it’s also believed that Matthew McConaughey will be reprising his fan-favourite role of strip club owner, Dallas. Predictably, no plot details for the movie are revealed at this time either, beyond Tatum wanting to make the concept bigger, and perhaps add a musical element.
2015 looks to be a year for high-profile chick flicks, as Magic Mike XXL will be joining the anticipated female-friendly releases of Fifty Shades of Grey and Pitch Perfect 2. This should mark a nice reprieve for female audiences, as movies directed explicitly towards females have largely floundered and become scarce over the past couple of years, post-Twilight. Perhaps 2015 will see a comeback for ladies’ choices, going forward.
Most of the year still belongs primarily to male audiences however. Along with the aforementioned Terminator: Genesis, lucrative male moviegoers will also have The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Fast & Furious 7, Mad Max: Fury Road, Ted 2, Ant-Man, Assassin’s Creed, Bourne 5, Star Wars: Episode VII, Bond 24, and Mission: Impossible 5 to look forward to in 2015, among other things.
Are you rearing for a sequel to Magic Mike? Dreading it? Would you rather that the original movie was just left alone? As usual, your comments are welcome below.
Eggplante will swing you your Magic Mike news, as it reveals itself.