Channing Tatum has admitted that he hopes to bring back the Magic Mike franchise when the cast is in their seventies.
The actor, 41, first starred in the comedy-drama about the world of male stripping back in 2012, reprising his role in the 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL.
Tatum - who stared as Mike in the original two movies - announced in November 2021 that he and his topless teammates are in the process of filming Magic Mike's Last Dance.
The actor shared the first page of the script in a tweet captioned: "Well world, looks like Mike Lane's tapping back in."
Aside from letting us know that Tatum will be taking off his shirt and reprising his iconic role as stripper Mike Lane, the tweet also confirmed the return of franchise screenwriter Reid Carolin and original film director Steven Soderbergh.
In a recent interview, Tatum admitted that he'd initially thought he would only return to the franchise once more in the later stages of his life.
"The only one I said I'd actually do – before we decided on this version – was the Grumpy Old Men version when we're like 70," he told IndieWire.
However, the actor admitted that that plan was still on the cards, adding: "When we’re 70, I want to get the team back together, for sure."
We've still yet to hear which of Mike's original dance crew will be returning to the stage. The original gang included Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomber, Joe Manganiello, Adam Rodriguez, and Alex Pettyfer.
Based loosely on Tatum's own experiences as a male stripper, Soderberg's steamy 2012 film Magic Mike was a smash hit with audiences worldwide. The movie followed newcomer Adam (Pettyfer) as he is introduced to the job by seasoned stripper Mike (Tatum).
At the end of the film, the pressures of the stage become too much for Mike and he exits the business. But in 2015's Magic Mike XXL he's tempted out of retirement to join many of his original crew on a cross-country road trip.
It comes as Tatum recently revealed that he almost passed on appearing in Magic Mike 3 because of the grueling demands that come with playing everyone's favorite male stripper.
While Tatum appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show as he talked about the upcoming sequel, a shirtless snap of him in Magic Mike XXL appeared on the big screen behind them.
Joking about the photo, Tatum said: "That might be the reason why I didn’t want to do a third one, because I have to look like that."
He then went on to say that the male body standards set by films Magic Mike were not only unrealistic - they were also unhealthy.
"It's hard to look like that. Even if you do work out, to be that kind of in shape is not natural," he said. "That's not even healthy. You have to starve yourself. I don't think when you're that lean, it's actually healthy."
