Alex Pettyfer To Co-Star With Channing Tatum In Steven Soderbergh's Male Stripper Pic
BY NIKKI FINKE | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: This is going to gobsmack almost everyone in Hollywood. Not only did Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh just choose 21-year-old newcomer Alex Pettyfer for this juicy role in Magic Mike. But also, as Deadline has previously reported, the film has such an interesting storyline because the plot revolves around Channing Tatum's real-life stripper sojourn. Now Pettyfer will play a young Tatum baring it all while Channing plays his older mentor. Pettyfer recently starred in I Am Number Four and Beastly, and will appear this fall opposite Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried for New Regency in a film that was called Now, and just changed its name today to In Time. Soderbergh's Magic Mike is the story of a friendship set in the world of male strippers. Tatum plays the title character, who schools a young dancer (Pettyfer) in how to hustle on and off the stage. It's a wild summer of dancing, partying, and women. The inspiration was Channing's own experiences as a stripper when he was 19. With Tatum, Nick Wechsler is producing with Gregory Jacobs and Reid Carolin who is writing the script. Soderbergh has called the film "sexy, funny and shocking" using Saturday Night Fever as a model.
This immediately became my most anticipated movie. I hope it's not the kind of Soderbergh project that only gets talked about.
Matthew McConaughey To Play Ex-Stripper In Steven Soderbergh's 'Magic Mike'
Source: Playlist
Richard Linklater, William Friedkin, Lee Daniels, Jeff Nichols and now Steven Soderbergh. These are just some of the helmers Matthew McConaughey has worked since with 2009's "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past," the tedious rom-com that seems to have spooked the actor into ditching the easy paychecks that required little more than taking off his shirt, and digging into some real material. That said, this next project may find a reason for the actor yet to flex those pecs.
McConaughey has now joined Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer in "Magic Mike," Soderbergh's account of the male stripping biz in the story about a experienced stripper (Tatum) who teaches a younger dancer (Pettyfer) how to hustle his wares on stage and off. Penned by Reid Carolin, the film is inspired by the Tatum's own experiences and thus, he's also producing the film as well. McCounaughey will play Dallas, a former dancer himself who now owns Xquisite, the established where the titular Magic Mike struts his stuff.
There's still more casting to come, including supporting part for an actress (it was offered recently Brit Marling who turned it down due to a potential scheduling conflict). The low budget film—operating on a lean $6-7 million pricetag—begins shooting next month and has put together a pretty interesting cast. It's yet another step in a new direction for Soderbergh, taking on a world that has barely been explored to the big screen and we're keen to see what kind of aesthetic he brings to the material. No distributor is lined up yet, so we'll have to wait to find out just when and how this will roll out.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcollider.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fmagic-mike-poster.jpg&hash=06cf4e841f45120fdae3af3abba64edb1d70f3a1)
Release date: June 29, 2012
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn, Matthew McConaughey
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Premise: An upstart male stripper is taken under the wing of a more experienced colleagues.
Tragic Steve.
is he sodonebergh yet or what?
Uhhh wow. That looks unbelievably bad.
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on November 15, 2011, 09:39:09 PMThey just put the worst parts in the trailer, right?
I couldn't stand that banter even in 5-second doses. This is doomed.
I bet Robin Wright shows up unannounced in the middle of the movie.
Yeah, that trailer doesn't bode well for this being what I thought it was gonna be.
Not that my hopes were all that high but I expected some grime. Some sleaze. You know, sad man putting his dick in people's faces. Getting some desperate bride-to-be to lick the whip cream off. Extreme cock hubris. Gay for pay. Bang-Bang Bart and so forth. Or, if they wanted to keep it light, Karate Kid plotting, but with weed and wang. Something vibey. Something that really embraces and engages with a heretofore unseen world in cinema*. Not Goodtime-Charlie-lovin'-life-and-ladies-but-can-he-win-over-that-one-special-girl. That's some tired shit.
I'd love to be pleasantly surprised though.
* I couldn't think of any male stripper movies. Are there any notable ones?
I was under the impression it was supposed to be hard? Measuring by what I just saw, it looks soft. Maybe it's just cut weird?
It only lasted 2 and a half minutes. Maybe after seeing the whole thing I'll be more satisfied. :oops:
This is how stupid his last two movies looked. You guys are just catching up.
He's obviously trying to lose credibility and therefore the burden of expectations from the last remaining film geeks clinging to the promise he once held. Just like David Gordon Green, he just wants to live a nice easy stress free life.
Sodonebergh's earned it.
I don't know. I thought the last two were both alright. Haywire in particular was actually a reasonably solid, entertaining B-picture (in no small part due to Lem Dobbs, who is probably among the best screenwriters to have never been successfully translated to the screen). Now, neither of them were amazing, but I don't know if Soderbergh has ever directed an AMAZING movie. They tend to fall somewhere between pretty good and good, with the occasional interesting failure (Full Frontal is an exception, being a genuinely bad movie. I haven't seen Underneath or King of the Hill).
Looking over the films he's made, I'm not so certain credibility or expectations were ever much of a concern for Soderbergh. If anything, he's sought to actively subvert expectations and (public and industry) credibility. His sophomore film was Kafka. When the industry and audience looked for him to make good on the promise of Sex, Lies, and Videotape. I mean, Kafka is fucked up mess, but an ambitious one and certainly a film nobody thought he would make at that time.
When everybody thought he was all washed-up in the mid-90s he makes Out of Sight. Then The Limey, Erin Brokovich, and Traffic, establishing himself as more than just a fringe weirdo, winning the Oscar while maintaining some of that indie cred. Then he makes Ocean's Eleven, shattering that cred. Then he makes Solaris, gaining it back and confounding mainstream audiences. Since then, it's been a real grab-bag. Anything goes. Like, fuck it, I can make this in three months, let's do it.
I see David Gordon Green differently, as he was well on his way to developing a very clear, distinct authorial voice in his work. Then said, fuck it, money, money, money. Or maybe he genuinely wanted to start over, and God bless him. Soderbergh never had much of an authorial voice. He's a journeyman filmmaker, but because he's better than most other journeymen of our time (and because journeyman is a bit of a dirty word), we mistake him for an auteur.
My expectations for Magic Mike weren't much based on Soderbergh's reputation. Rather, I wrongly assumed the film would be handled differently based on the subject matter and its inherent sleaziness. I mean, from what I can imagine, male strippers must find themselves in all kinds of interesting, uncommon situations. Yet, this looks to be an almost absurdly conventional film. Based on that trailer, I fear we might not even see a penis in this thing. I think we can all agree, there should be a penis in this thing.
I'll still see it, but only because I'm curious what he has to do for twenties.
More Dancing, More Stripping Trailer
Quote from: BB on April 21, 2012, 09:41:03 PM
I see David Gordon Green differently, as he was well on his way to developing a very clear, distinct authorial voice in his work. Then said, fuck it, money, money, money. Or maybe he genuinely wanted to start over, and God bless him.
Didn't he once say that he had a really expensive Sci-Fi project that he wanted to do but couldn't get the money for it? Maybe he thought "hey! I have to make a mainstream name for myself so I can get financing for it" and then sometime in the future BAM! 2001 of our time or something!
Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the guy. Just sort of joshing him. In his shoes, I'd have almost definitely done the same thing. I would like to think I wouldn't have gone on to make Your Highness or The Sitter, but there's no shame in it. He's consistently working and good on him.
But I don't know that he's doing these films to make a name for himself in the mainstream. Perhaps at first with Pineapple Express. Since then, though, he's been as risky as ever, just with more money and on a bigger scale. Eastbound and Down was a risk that paid off. Your Highness was a risk that didn't. I haven't seen The Sitter, so I don't know what was going on there. His upcoming Suspiria remake strikes me as a new and different kind of risk. It's not like Suspiria holds much name recognition for popular audiences.
Also, it's not like his choice of mainstream material would likely inspire financiers to fund a personal project (not that there's any proven way to do so). Did you like my anonymous, bland, hands-off direction in Pineapple Express? Perhaps you'd be interested in providing me with a hundred million dollars so I can make my sci-fi passion project! I mean, I don't know a whole lot about how movies acquire financing, but it seems like the only people who get to consistently make personal films are those who largely stick to making personal films. Of course there's a one-for-them, one-for-me approach favoured by guys like Scorcese and Cuaron, but Scorcese's most mainstream movies are still loaded with personal preoccupations, and The Sitter ain't Harry Potter, if you know what I mean.
DGG was critically-acclaimed, had industry allies, and was on his way to a pretty great career as an auteur filmmaker. He then decided to do something other than that. I don't believe these have been passionless studio jobs. I think he sincerely enjoys making the films he's been making. That said, I hope Megan Ellison or some overseas investor gives him the money to make that sci-fi project, and I hope it is the 2001 of our time. Even if it's the 2010 of our time, I hope he gets to make it. I like the guy, even if he sometimes makes shitty stuff.
Anyhow, Magic Mike still looks awful, eh?
Nicolas Winding Refn Was Originally In Talks To Direct 'Magic Mike'; Steven Soderbergh Has No Desire To Make Another "Important Movie"
Source: Playlist
Well, you gotta admit, Channing Tatum has got some serious taste when it comes to directors. With his CV so far including folks like Michael Mann, Kevin Macdonald, Ron Howard, Kimberley Peirce and now, of course, Steven Soderbergh (x3), there's another helmer that, had things gone differently, Tatum would've already knocked out a couple movies with. His name? Nicolas Winding Refn. After "Bronson" in 2008, Refn was lining up the thriller "The Dying Of The Light," which would've starred Harrison Ford and Tatum in a Paul Schrader-penned film about a CIA agent who becomes afflicted by blindness. The project fell apart, but it seems Tatum and Refn were talking about reuniting on something entirely different.
In a feature article in the Miami Herald about the making of "Magic Mike," it's revealed that before Soderbergh came along "Tatum had originally been in talks with Nicolas Winding Refn to direct 'Magic Mike.' " We can only imagine what that would've been like, but after that deal fell apart, Soderbergh was the next one on the phone, and he has nothing but strong praise for Tatum. "I had a great experience with him on 'Haywire,' and he immediately became one of those actors in my repertory who I can call upon to do stuff. I became a fan," the director said. "He's interested in a lot of different things, and he's well aware of the difference between taking yourself seriously and taking your work seriously. I like his attitude, and I think he's really got it together."
And those kind words are easily reciprocated. "Steven is one of the two or three directors who made me want to make films," "Magic Mike" screenwriter and Tatum's business partner Reid Carolin said. "I was awestruck at getting the chance to work with him. And he's truly a mentor. There's a culture of respect. He doesn't care who you are; he values your ideas, listens to them, gives you the feedback that you need, and you construct the story along with him. I think that's why his movies are so distinct: He's in every frame and every line of dialogue."
In an interesting related tidbit, Soderbergh also chatted with the Miami Herald about the change in direction he took after his polarizing epic "Che," which he feels "broke out so obviously along ideological lines and nothing else was discussed...I just thought there would be a more wide-ranging discussion," he says. He adds: "After 'Che,' I have no desire to make another quote-unquote important movie. I've been cured of that."
Following that experience, Soderbergh admits he was looking at fare that didn't carry with the weight of being an awards contender. "After that, I've been consciously looking for things that would be more fun to do. With 'Contagion,' I was trying to push into a genre category as far as I could. Even though it came out in the fall, I didn't want it to feel like important Oscar-bait. I wanted to make something really entertaining. As far as the smaller scale goes, that hasn't necessarily been by choice. I was fired off 'Moneyball' and then got sort of shoved off 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Those movies were on a larger scale," he explains. " 'Contagion' was $60 million. When I was on it, 'Moneyball' was $50 million. When you get into those kinds of numbers, the amount of time you spend doing the things you like to do decreases. I like being in a room with actors. But when the scale of a film grows, you are forced to wrangle with a bunch of other elements. And that's not fun for me."
But with "Magic Mike" on its way to theaters, the smaller-scale thriller "The Bitter Pill" in the can (with Tatum again) and "Behind The Candelabra" gearing up to shoot this summer, more than ever Soderbergh is going wherever his interests take him. And with a hiatus on the horizon, who knows where he'll go next.
Hiatus, my ass.
I really like Soderbergh, and I hope he keeps moving along.
Brilliant post, right?
The trailers are misleading. I was totally surprised by this. Probably my favorite Soderbergh in a decade.
This needed a better script. I loved the cast and premise but this wasn't nearly as fun, funny or surprising as it should have been. Tatum and that girl have no chemistry, the movie has no 3rd act, and Soderbergh continues to barely scratch the surface of whatever subject he toils with.
I'll mostly agree with you on this one, cbrad. It was wasn't really enlightening and didn't really go anywhere. The 3rd act, like you said, what was left of it seeped into cliches. However, I had no issue with the script (or lack thereof) concerning dialogue. Soderbergh did have his fingerprints all over the movie, though, which is a good thing.
You mentioned the girl and Tatum had no chemistry, honestly I can't see that girl having on-screen chemistry with anyone, who is she & why did he cast her, was the question I was asking myself
Quote from: ©brad on November 09, 2012, 08:54:51 AM
Soderbergh continues to barely scratch the surface of whatever subject he toils with.
nailed it dude
I kinda like how he's been doing that, it seems to be a comprehensive attempt to remove sentiment from his storytelling. I do agree he's gone a little overboard, but it removes all emotional exposition from his work.
Yeah but in doing that the audience is never emotionally invested in the characters, so what's the point? His movies are now just film school experiments that always have a few cool technical things worth geeking out about but never hit you in the gut.
being emotionally invested in characters has it's place, but is that the only way we should engage storytelling? I could list many films I wasn't emotionally invested in but still consider great entertainment or works of art. Always doing it that way requires the audience to walk into a film looking to connect or project themselves on the protagonist. this instantly limits the possible plot or story resolution.
Hmm not sure I'm fully following you. By 'emotionally invested' I don't mean the characters have to be likeable or sympathetic, just dimensional and interesting enough to care. I don't see how that limits story.
Ah ok you mean not fully fleshed out, I thought you were saying not emotionally invested because of impure motives, which these two male characters do seem to have. It had enough of a dynamic for my interests, I could clearly see where all the characters were coming from and what they wanted at this point in their lives.
soderberg doesn't seem to have any pulling your hearstrings scenes anymore, which i like. I thought this is what the conversation was addressing.
Yeah I was very disappointed with this. I wasn't even paying attention towards the end. Not interesting and most of it predictable.
Quote from: HeywoodRFloyd on November 09, 2012, 09:36:49 AM
You mentioned the girl and Tatum had no chemistry, honestly I can't see that girl having on-screen chemistry with anyone, who is she & why did he cast her, was the question I was asking myself
She is the daughter of the President of WB. Wouldn't surprise me if Soderbergh owed him a favor.
Well I fuckin loved it.
Buncha homophobes up in here. Magic Mike was awesome. He was a very deep character with big dreams. Don't act like you weren't rooting for him to get his bro furniture business up and running.
My only beef is Channing Tatum has dumb face.
Steven Soderbergh talks Magic Mike 2
Says he'll be involved to consult on the project
Source: Total Film
Steven Soderbergh might be taking a well-earned break from directing, but his latest comments about the forthcoming Magic Mike 2 suggest that he's still spinning plenty of movie-plates.
"It's getting pretty far along," says Soderbergh of the sequel. "They've got a good idea. There were some stories and events that Channing [Tatum] 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," continues Soderbergh. "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."
Soderbergh has already confirmed he won't quit his sabbatical to direct, but Tatum has suggested that he'd like to make the film his directorial debut. If he does, it sounds like he'll have plenty of help on hand as to where to point the camera...
Quote from: MacGuffin on May 01, 2013, 10:19:53 AM
Steven Soderbergh talks Magic Mike 2
Says he'll be involved to consult on the project
Source: Total Film
Steven Soderbergh might be taking a well-earned break from directing, but his latest comments about the forthcoming Magic Mike 2 suggest that he's still spinning plenty of movie-plates.
"It's getting pretty far along," says Soderbergh of the sequel. "They've got a good idea. There were some stories and events that Channing [Tatum] 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," continues Soderbergh. "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."
Soderbergh has already confirmed he won't quit his sabbatical to direct, but Tatum has suggested that he'd like to make the film his directorial debut. If he does, it sounds like he'll have plenty of help on hand as to where to point the camera...
At the dicks, right? That's the implication of the ellipsis, that he'll be pointing the camera at all the dicks?
whoa.i was about to watch this. are there dicks in it for real
One out-of-focus dick and a lot of implied dick. It's a great movie, regardless of one's dick threshold. I don't hold much hope for the sequel, though.
ok im down. i mean soderberghs soderbergh right? to an extent?
Just wanted to hop on and quickly say I was wrong a year and a half ago. This was pretty good.
Funny little film. Naked butts are exploited in a way that should appeal to female audience, yet man's story is in the center. Stories of Adam and Mike are somehow parallel, just set 10 years apart. Both didn't get what they wanted and we observe how they cope with disappointments. There are some darker moments there - story doesn't go this route in the end, yet idea of things going southwest stays.
About the lack of the 3rd act. I didn't mind it. Instead of that, film loops back to the beginning - you can imagine that story of Mike could begin in a place close to where Adam is at the end of the film (becoming Magic and running the show).
McConaughey as Dallas did steal the show for me - so much confidence in playing this character.