Steven Soderbergh Teases Possibility of Magic Mike Cinematic Universe

Thanks to the success of Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, the feature films have already inspired ancillary projects, such as Las Vegas' Magic Mike Live stage show and the reality series Finding Magic Mike on HBO Max, with director of the first entry and the upcoming Magic Mike's Last Dance Steven Soderbergh hinting that the franchise could continue to expand even further. Given that previous expansion projects have confirmed the potential of the franchise, Soderbergh explained the ways in which feature films could be developed and not have to feature Channing Tatum's titular Mike Lane, yet still honor the spirit of the previous films. 

"I think there are other things to be done within what I consider now to be a larger Magic Mike universe," Soderbergh shared with Variety. "There are stories that can be told that have the same sort of ethos and are tackling the same subjects that still involve dance but don't have Mike Lane in them."

While the first film saw Mike bringing a new performer into the world of male stripping, the second installment saw Lane return to that world for one final sendoff to his former career. Funnily enough, art is imitating real life in the sense that the concept of Magic Mike's Last Dance includes Mike attempting to develop a live show in the spirit of his dancing ensemble.

"The movie is sort of a fictionalized procedural on how Mike comes up with the idea of a show -- and then the obstacles, of which there are many, to trying to realize his vision of what this new thing could be," Soderbergh recalled. "It's a variation on All That Jazz."

Magic Mike XXL debuted back in 2015, at a time in which theatrical releases were the standard for major pictures, though HBO Max is currently slated to be the exclusive home to the all-new sequel. Soderbergh pointed out that there is a possibility of there being theatrical screenings of the sequel to help embrace the spirit of its predecessors.

"It's certainly hard to argue that this isn't a movie that's best seen in a theater, because we have the data. People, primarily women, were going in packs, in large groups, to see the Magic Mike movies," the filmmaker recalled. "That's the discussion with Warners right now -- can we eventize this? And if so, should we put it out theatrically?"

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Magic Mike franchise.

Are you hoping the series gets spinoffs? Let us know in the comments!