Steven Soderbergh has his Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra, coming to HBO in a few weeks, but the director is also prepping his first sequel since Ocean’s 13 … even though he might not be as involved as fans probably hoped.
The director conducted an interview with Pride Source on behalf of Candelabra, where he shares valuable insight into his process and the approach both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon took to their iconic screen roles. Toward the end of the interview, though, Soderbergh talks about a Magic Mike sequel, crediting the overwhelming reception from the gay community for the film’s success. On the progress of the sequel, Soderbergh shares:
We actually just had a meeting about it the other day. It's getting pretty far along. They've got a good idea. There were some stories and events that Channing lived through that we just couldn't fit in the first one. One of them is a really hilarious and very cinematic idea that we reluctantly didn't put in the first film, because it was such a big idea you could build a whole film out of it - but we didn't want to build that film out of it. It's perfect for this, though.I want to help [but not direct]. I have some proprietary feelings about it, obviously. I want to make sure it gets done and done well, so we meet every couple of weeks to talk about where it's going. But it's gonna be good. It's a good idea. It's not a retread. And there will be more time spent with the characters - all of them.
Soderbegrh says the original cast will return, though he will not be in the director’s chair. As many know, the filmmaker has been throwing around the term “retirement,” saying Candelabra and Side Effects likely would be his last movies. However, he back off that in the interview, now stating:
In terms of movies, it's going to be a break. I don't know how extended. I'm just taking a break from that specific kind of work for a while to see if I can tear everything down and rebuild it. See if I can come back different.”
So he’s already thinking about what he’ll be like when he comes back? That’s encouraging. No one wants to imagine a world without new Soderbergh films … even if we do have Magic Mike 2 to eventually look forward to.
