Magic Mike 3: Matthew McConaughey Gives Thoughts On Potentially Reteaming With Channing Tatum

Matthew McConaughey as Dallas in Magic Mike
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

It was a decade ago when Channing Tatum explored his past as a male stripper with Magic Mike, and it became both a critical and commercial success. One highlight of the movie was Matthew McConaughey’s Dallas, who played the strip club owner in the original 2012 film, but skipped out on the 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL. With another Magic Mike movie officially on the way, will Dallas come back to dance another round? 

Channing Tatum is getting ready to return to the strip club stage for Magic Mike’s Last Dance, which will be directed by Steven Soderbergh, who helmed the first movie. Production is set to start next month in Europe, but is it too late for Matthew McConaughey to get on board? When asked about returning to Magic Mike, the actor said this: 

Channing Tatum, call me, bro! I haven’t heard from ya.' ... I don’t know. I’d have to read [the script] first. It was a helluva lot of fun doing the first one.

Considering Matthew McConaughey passed on Magic Mike XXL, one might imagine that he didn’t want to return to the male stripped scene after the first round. However, his recent words to Variety makes it sound like he's more open to the idea. 

Channing Tatum was asked about Matthew McConaughey’s potential return last week, to which the actor said he “didn’t know” if the actor would want to do it. Tatum shared that McConaughey loved so much what he did with the first movie that he didn’t want to touch it for Magic Mike XXL, but perhaps he’ll stop by for Magic Mike’s Last Dance.

During a recent interview with CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb, Matthew McConaughey discussed that he has been “scared” to return to roles for sequels in the past and has steered away from it. McConaughey recently did take part in a sequel for Sing 2, though he did so as a voice actor. 

If Dallas does return for Magic Mike’s Last Dance, it sounds like it will be a solid decision given that Steven Soderbergh is back alongside the original script writer, Reid Carolin. According to Channing Tatum, the movie will be a “full dance-icle” with more focus on incredible dance numbers. Additionally, it will feature a “really strong female central character,” which Tatum’s The Lost City co-star Sandra Bullock recently joked he’s trying to get her on.  

Magic Mike’s Last Dance will be made to stream with an HBO Max subscription. While we wait for more details on the upcoming third Magic Mike film, Channing Tatum is set to star in The Lost City as a romance novel cover model stuck in the jungle with an author. The movie hits theaters on March 25, 2022. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.