Magic Mike II is officially a go!

Channing Tatum surprised a number of people
when he and director Steven Soderbergh teamed
on Magic Mike , a film loosely inspired by Tatum’s
own experiences working as a stripper before he
became a professional actor. The movie was a
box office success ($167 million worldwide
against a $7 million budget) as well as a critical
success, and Tatum likewise earned praise for his
emotionally-nuanced performance – in addtion to
his looks and dance moves, of course.
Now a sequel, which is officially titled Magic Mike
XXL , has entered production for a theatrical
release next summer. Principal photography on
the project is now fully underway, as Tatum
announced on Twitter earlier today, with
Soderbergh serving as an executive producer – in
addition to being the film’s director of
photography and editor – and Soderbergh’s
longtime first assistant director, Gregory Jacobs,
set as the primary helmsman.