Magic Mike XXL sure is packing the star power, as filming on the sequel to Steven Soderbergh’s 2012 stripper hit starts today. Along with confirmation of the newest additions to the cast, Warner Bros. have dropped the official synopsis:
Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. 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.
We’d already been teased with the brief logline referring to the boys embarking on a road trip, and now we’ve got a bit more to go on. Taking the road trip framework and applying it to a group of smokin’ hot male strippers ought to be a neat twist on the first flick. The ‘new friends’ will be Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), Donald Glover (Community), Amber Heard (All The Boys Love Mandy Lane), Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings And A Funeral), Jada Pinkett Smith (Gotham) and Michael Strahan (Live With Kelly And Michael).
That’s quite a list. We’d heard rumours of Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell and Jada Pinkett Smith taking on parts and now we can expect their appearance with some certainty! The newest names thrown in are Banks, Glover and Strahan, indicating this could be a very funny sequel.
Original director Soderbergh has stepped aside for the eagerly-awaited follow-up. Taking on the executive producer role, he’s switched spots with Magic Mike producer, Gregory Jacobs, who’ll be directing the impressive cast. Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias are all back on set to reprise their roles.
Magic Mike XXL hits theatres on July 1st, 2015.
