Warm up the body oil, stretch out those jockstraps and dig out those leather cowboy hats from the back of the wardrobe… because Channing Tatum and Steven Soderbergh are reteaming for a third installment of Magic Mike. The world rejoiced when the news broke recently, and it has inevitably led to speculation about which cast-members would be returning, and which new actors might be joining the Kings of Tampa. And it looks like someone from the first movie is looking to make a comeback.
When the first movie came out a whole decade ago (how is that possible?), arguably its biggest star was Matthew McConaughey. He ate up the role of Dallas – the head honcho of the stripping crew, made up of exotic dancers including Mike (Tatum), Richie (Joe Manganiello), Ken (Matt Bomer) and newbie Adam (Alex Pettyfer).
Magic Mike formed part of the McConaissance – the resurrection of McConaughey’s career into critically-acclaimed fare such as Killer Joe, Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, True Detective, and Interstellar. In fact, it was maybe because McConaughey got so busy, that he didn’t return for the beloved sequel in 2015 – Magic Mike XXL.
Now, McConaughey is putting it out there that he is down for the threequel, by making several public statements that he wants Channing Tatum to call him. On Instagram, McConaughey posted a picture of himself with Tatum and underneath put simply “call me” followed by Tatum’s handle.
He also told Variety in February, when asked if he was up for an appearance in Magic Mike 3; “Channing Tatum, call me, bro! I haven’t heard from ya!” He went on to clarify, “I don’t know … I’d have to read (the script) first. It was a helluva lot of fun doing the first one.”
The only casting announcement we’ve had for Magic Mike 3 so far, is that Thandiwe Newton has joined the cast in an unspecified role. The supporting roles and cameos in Magic Mike XXL – including Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell, and Elizabeth Banks – were some of the highlights of that movie.
While we wait for more updates on Magic Mike’s latest romp on the stage, check out our guide to the best musicals and the best rom-coms.