In light of Channing Tatum’s statement that the entire Magic Mike cast would return for a second outing, it turns out he failed to mention one omission. The ringleader of the gang, Matthew McConaughey, won’t be back for Magic Mike XXL. In an interview with Indiewire, director Greg Jacobs confirmed reports from June this year that the muscle-bound bongo-player will be sitting out on this round of oiling-up.
Don’t worry, there’ll still be plenty of glistening male flesh for your eye candy pleasure. Original star and co-writer Channing Tatum will reprise his role, along with Matt Bomer and Joe Mangianello. Other big stars are attached, according to Jacobs, but he couldn’t give any names on account of the ink not having dried on their contracts.
Jacobs went on to reveal that the sequel to the massively successful 2012 flick will be “very different” from the first outing. For those of you who are unaware, Magic Mike followed the story of a young male stripper who learns the ropes when it comes to sassing the ladies and bringing in the dough. Based on Channing Tatum’s experiences in the industry, it turned out to be a surprisingly inventive drama. Which makes you wonder, how can repeat success be guaranteed? That’s not a concern for Jacobs, who’s happy to break away from the mould:
“What am I allowed to say?…It’s road trip movie and put it this way, it’s different enough that once you see it you’ll understand why we made a sequel. No one will be accusing us of making the same movie twice.”
Magic Mike XXL hits theatres on July 3rd, 2015.