‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ Has ‘No Nudity’: ‘There’s Not Even a Thong’
CHANNING TATUM as Mike Lane and KYLIE SHEA as Ballerina in Warner Bros. Pictures’ musical comedy “MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE."
Magic Mike‘s director Steven Soderbergh is explaining why the final installment doesn’t feature any nudity. The R-rated sequel sees Channing Tatum reprise his role as “Magic” Mike Lane. Salma Hayek Pinault joins the cast as wealthy socialite Maxandra Mendoza.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Soderbergh explained how the film could not show any nudity while delivering on steaminess, as many people are going to watch the film to see Tatum and other hot men strip.
“To me, it’s about sexy. It’s not about the sex, per se, and whether the movie is explicit,” he tells the publication. “There’s no nudity in [my 1998 film] Out of Sight. There’s no nudity in Magic Mike’s Last Dance. ”
He adds, “There’s not even a thong. And yet, it was our desire to make a sexy movie.”
He added, “What’s sexy is intimacy and genuine emotion. Something that feels alive, and electric, and has the potential for vulnerability. That can be sexy. You’re letting somebody inside your heart, and that’s scary. You can get hurt. The really radical thing to do right now, it seems to me, as opposed to showing the beginning of the relationship when there’s all this heat and light because of the attraction — that’s easy — is to show people who’ve been married for 20 years for whom that’s still true. Where you don’t even make a big deal of it. They’ve been together for 20 years, and they’re still into each other in that way.”
In February 2022, Tatum, 42, joked about originally not wanting to do another Magic Mike. He was hesitant because it would mean overworking to achieve unhealthy body expectations for the stripping scenes. “That might be the reason why I didn’t want to do a third one. Because I have to look like that.” Tatum said on The Kelly Clarkson Show at the time as she showed a shirtless photo of him from the second film in the franchise, Magic Mike XXL. “”
“It’s hard to look like that. Even if you do work out, to be that kind of in shape is not natural,” he added. “That’s not even healthy — you have to starve yourself. I don’t think when you’re that lean it’s actually healthy.”
Magic Mike’s Last Dance is in theaters Friday, Feb. 10.
Channing Tatum Confirms ‘Magic Mike 3:’ Fans React on Twitter
Channing Tatum announced on Twitter yesterday (November 29) that Mike Lane will be back in the forthcoming Magic Mike 3.
“Well world, looks like Mike Lane’s tapping back in,” Channing wrote, tagging HBO Max with a photo of the script which reads the film’s official title: “Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Written by Reid Carolin. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.”
“Is there anybody on screen more charismatic and appealing than Magic Mike?” Toby Emmerich, Chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be back in business with Channing, Steven and their creative team to bring back Magic Mike’s wonderful combination of dance, drama, romance and humor.”
The movie announcement comes just weeks before HBO Max is set to premiere a reality competition series titled Finding Magic Mike. Kicking off Dec. 16, the series follows 10 men who have “lost their magic” but quickly learn new dance routines in hopes of earning a spot on the Magic Mike Live stage in Las Vegas. The first two Magic Mike films were so successful that they helped launch a Vegas stage show, with a national tour coming in 2022.
“There are no words for how excited I am to blow the doors off of the world of Magic Mike with Steven, Greg, Reid, and the amazing people at HBO Max,” Channing previously shared. “The stripperverse will never be the same.”
The original 2012 Magic Mike film featured Channing as the titular character, a seasoned male stripper who teaches younger performer Adam (Alex Pettyfer) how to make easy money. Magic Mike XXL followed in 2015, grossing nearly $300 million worldwide for the first two films.
Fans celebrated the announcement by sharing who they would like to see dance alongside Tatum, and boy, are they on to something.
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
