Director Steven Soderbergh‘s upcoming release Magic Mike is gearing up to open across movie screens nationwide at the end of this month. Discussing the predictable block buster, Soderbergh attributes the success of the movie’s production to both a terrific cast and a great story. “All the guys were great and each one brought something specific. We wanted actors who could improv and be funny, not necessarily guys who could dance,” the Haywire helmer shared.
The men of Magic Mike, that includes a star line-up of Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, and Matthew McConaughey, seemed to have clicked with one another right away. “There’s nothing like shared potential humiliation to bond people, and they bonded quickly. They all came in to watch one another do their solo routines and lend support and they were so generous with each other—no competitiveness, no egos. Watching them go through those routines in front of 150 female extras and the entire film crew was awesome. They all jumped off that cliff.”
While the movie does focus on a group of male strippers with a rookie dancer at its center, Soderbergh says there’s more to the story than meets the eye. “A lot of the story, to me, is about the way in which we misplace our emotions, pick the wrong things and the wrong people to invest in,” says Soderbergh. “There are signals, but Mike hasn’t been picking up on them until now. He wasn’t paying attention to the bigger picture.”
Magic Mike will make its debut on June 29th.
