Don’t hold your breath for Magic Mike 3, after series stalwart Channing Tatum revealed that the future of the erotic franchise could play out across Broadway musicals and stage shows.
Appearing at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (via The Hollywood Reporter), Tatum teased of his plans beyond Magic Mike XXL, and why he foresees a move into directing in the not-so-distant future.
First up, the actor and producer noted that the next natural step story-wise would be to delve into the minutia of the show itself, as Tatum believes the series “has to evolve past” the core cast of characters.
“The third installment will be the show, and I think it has to evolve past these guys. The first one was about Mike, the second one was about the guys and I think the third one is really about man and woman having a conversation about sex and themselves and who we all are. That’s the next step I would like to take with the story.”
It’s an arc that will play out across a Broadway musical along with a Las Vegas dance show and though details remain scarce for the time being, Tatum did confirm that a ““brilliant, brilliant” director has come attached to the Broadway show. Said he: “It’s tough, because you don’t want to just come out with all this stuff. We are slowly boiling down [ideas] to see which one works.”
Speaking broadly about his own career, which has developed to encompass a producing role on both Magic Mike and Sony’s widely popular Jump Street series, Tatum pointed to the possibility of making a foray into the world of directing.
“Once I start repeating stuff I just get bored. I start to not be as connected to it. I haven’t really overthought the scope in which I have started to push the boundaries and step out of acting.”
Magic Mike 3 (or Magic Mike XXXL) will now play out on the boards. But what do our readers make of Tatum’s vision for the cult series?