Bad news for anyone eagerly anticipating Matthew McConaughey’s post-Oscar return to the **Magic Mike **world of body glitter and baby oil: according to director Gregory Jacobs, he’s not coming back for the sequel, **Magic Mike XXL.
Though it looked like the new film had already kicked off production at the end of last month, it appears Jacobs and his crew (including one S. Soderbergh, masquerading under one of his regular cine-guises as director of photography Peter Andrews) were simply gathering second unit and aerial material, with the main cast not set to show up for a couple of weeks.
And when they do report for gyrating duty, they’ll be one McConaughey short. Co-writer/producer Channing Tatum is naturally back along with Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello, but there's no reappearance for the Oscar winner's Dallas. According to the director, speaking with The Playlist about his work on the new Amazon pilot Red Oaks, the film will have new cast members, though the deals have yet to close so he wouldn’t specify who will be along for the ride.
Magic Mike XXL promises to deliver a different experience, sending Mike and co. along on a road trip to some even more enthusiastic audiences - which might explain why club owner Dallas is superfluous to requirements. Whether or not they eventually tempt McConaughey back, the film arrives in US cinemas on July 1 next year and lands here on August 7.