14 DAY TRIAL // The “Magic Mike” sequel is underway, full steam ahead! Following countless teasers, cryptic messages from leading man / writer Channing Tatum, and lots of rumors, the film, officially named “Magic Mike XXL,” is set for a July 2015 release.
Now it also has a full synopsis and a full cast, which apparently includes Live! With Kelly and Michael star Michael Strahan. Michael had actually been “campaigning” for a role for at least a couple of years, and now he gets to see his dream come true.
Michael confirmed the news on the show
News of Michael’s cameo came from Michael himself, who enlisted Kelly’s help for it. Going beyond the call of duty, she even offered to help him out in preparing for the role, by putting him in contact with all her “ladies” handling hair removal and other beauty treatments. Video of the announcement is included below, at the end of the article.
“I'm getting ready to do something that's making me nervous,” Strahan said. “I'm about to do something that started as a joke on the show,” he continued, recalling the first time they had Channing Tatum on and he asked as a joke if Strahan would be willing to appear in the “Magic Mike” sequel.
The joke got a life of its own, and in almost no time, Strahan was ripping off his pants and trying to bust a move for the cameras to show that he had what it took to play an exotic dancer in Tatum’s movie, should he ever consider making a sequel.
“Magic Mike,” the little engine that could
When promotion for “Magic Mike” started in early 2012, people thought it was just “another stripper movie,” if there’s such a thing. Either way, they expected to see handsome actors dancing their toned backsides off, they expected some nudity and some humor, but they never imagined it would be both a commercial and critical hit.
The film established Channing Tatum as one of the hottest leading men in Hollywood, but it also confirmed that he was more than a one-trick pony: here he was, doing drama, after a script he had written based on his pre-fame experiences.
“Magic Mike” was a labor of love, a film he had worked for years to see on the big screen. And he was reaping the benefits of all that hard work because he was suddenly a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Plans for the sequel took longer to be fully drawn up, but here we are.
New faces, new challenges
Shortly after Strahan’s announcement, Warner Bros. released a statement with the full cast and the full synopsis. Perhaps not surprisingly at all, Matthew McConaughey won’t be coming back to reprise his role – whether because he has an Oscar now and he deems this “beneath” him, or because he’s too busy for it, we might never know.
Alex Pettyfer, on the other hand, the hot, young, and promising star of the original, is coming back. Word has it he was such a diva on the set that Tatum himself promised him he would not get a callback if a sequel was ever to be made. Apparently, those rumors weren’t true.
Joining Tatum and Pettyfer are Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, and Gabriel Iglesias, but also newcomers Amber Heard, Donald Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Elizabeth Banks, and Andie MacDowell.
“Magic Mike XXL” is shaping up to be quite a star-studded production, so here’s to hoping it won’t go down the same path as “Valentine’s Day” or “New Year’s Eve.”
“‘Magic Mike XXL’ finds the remaining Kings of Tampa ready to throw in the towel,” the film’s synopsis reads. “But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.”
