The cast of 'Magic Mike XXL' turned up the heat as they showed off their ridiculous abs on the Entertainment Weekly magazine cover.
Entertainment Weekly puts the spotlight on the buff men with its latest cover story. In promotional images from the movie, Matt Bomer, Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello posed shirtless in jeans with studded belts.
A photo posted by Joe Manganiello (@joemanganiello) on Jun 18, 2015 at 7:21am PDT
Magic Mike XXL is the sequel to the original stripper tale loosely based on star Channing Tatum’s past as a male exotic dancer. The cast is shocked about the success of the film considering it was shot on a tiny budget and with little hype.
“We just won the lottery,” says Tatum of the first film’s success. “Like, we had no idea. We truly honestly had no idea. I don’t know we could have seen it.”
Manganiello noted: “I remember Warner Bros. bought it and announced they were going to release it as their Fourth of July movie. That’s when it hit me. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what we just did to these girls, everyone is going to see this.’”
A photo posted by Joe Manganiello (@joemanganiello) on Apr 27, 2015 at 11:04am PDT
Talking about reuniting for the sequel, Bomer jokes, “I think anytime you want to form a rock solid ensemble, make everybody get naked. Instant trust happens.”
A photo posted by Matt Bomer Team ™ (@mattbomerteam) on May 27, 2015 at 6:27pm PDT
Tatum adds, “I’ll forever be able to see them across the room and be like ‘You!’ [Points across the table] If ever s**t goes down, I know who’s willing to go hard — no pun intended.”
A photo posted by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Feb 4, 2015 at 7:54am PST
XXL is said to have a much lighter an looser tone. It will focus more on the guy's group dynamic and dance numbers.
“We didn’t want to repeat ourselves,” says director Gregory Jacobs, taking over for Steven Soderbergh , who is still the film's cinematographer.
“Having this opportunity to go on a road trip enabled us to literally go in a different direction tonally. We could be funnier.”
The stripper sequel is slated for a July 1 release in the U.S.
A photo posted by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Jun 10, 2015 at 4:31pm PDT
Watch the trailer below.
