Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL were both fun theatrical romps that raked in the box office dollars. The second film may have come out five years ago and may have been about the Kings of Tampa throwing together one last major performance, but I’d certainly assume there would be interest in seeing more from the physically fit stars in the franchise should they ever want to come back for another go. However, if you were to ask Joe Manganiello how he would feel about coming back for a potential Magic Mike III, the actor has one very succinct statement for you:
I’m retired.
His response was blunt, but it does sort of make sense for the franchise. Joe Manganiello, who played Big Dick Richie in both Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, was already part of the gang's last hurrah in the second movie. At the start of XXL, some members of the gang had already moved on and the remaining Kings of Tampa then decided to travel to put on one more big show. It may have only been the second movie for the franchise, but it was also a movie written in a way that implied things were changing for the characters involved.
Being "retired" from the Magic Mike biz isn’t an issue of physical fitness, mind you. Series lead Channing Tatum recently posted an ab-heavy image while he’s filming his upcoming directorial debut and he could still rock a Magic Mike movie should he want to. Joe Manganiello has also been staying pretty physically fit for roles, so the two actors getting a little bit older is certainly not what’s stopping another sequel from happening.
In fact, the actor also told admitted in the same interview with People that training does get harder as he gets older (Manganiello is currently 45), but he’s still been working hard to stay fit for movies like The Sleepover, which came out this summer and does feature some action. He works out six days a week and has a home gym to help though he notes:
It's different at 43 than it was 33, but it's a lot of fun.
Meanwhile, Channing Tatum has already promised a while back that if he ever got back into shape, there may be a little more Magic Mike in his own future, just probably not in a big screen sequel. He said he would totally “strap on the thong” again for the Vegas live show Magic Mike Live, revealing,
Oh, yeah! I'm getting closer to back in shape, but if I'm ever back in shape, I promised the Magic Mike cast of Vegas and London that I will strap on the old thong again. I gotta do it soon because this old body isn't gonna do what it used to do anymore.
Spoiler: he's definitely now back in shape. Still, the closest thing we’ve gotten to a return to form is him dancing on the stage fully clothed at the show’s London premiere or that other time he went “full Magic Mike” in a gas station (also clothed). The franchise also lives on through the various live shows fans can revisit. But there’s been no forward momentum on a third movie from anyone related to the franchise, and Channing Tatum has previously been clear that he feels the show is his version of a third sequel and the next step for the franchise overall.
Still, I don’t think there’s any harm in having interest in a third Magic Mike movie, even if it’s unlikely at this point. Fanbases of a feather flock together after all and even if another project is fantasy, I wouldn’t call it a bad fantasy. So I have to ask...
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