Not only is "Magic Mike XXL" returning with big guns blazing (sans Matthew McConaughey's this time around), it's also taking on some of Tinseltown's most attractive female talents on board!
Recently, it has been confirmed that Jada Pinkett Smith will be joining the testosterone-filled cast of the "Magic Mike" sequel. This has raised questions on whether she'll play a female stripper - the only rose among thorns, so to speak.
"No, not one of those [characters]!" she exclaimed on The Queen Latifah Show, where the actress acknowledged her participation in the stripper flick, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't really reveal it yet, but I'm excited about it."
"You know, Channing and Gregory and Warner Bros. really took a chance," she was also quoted as saying. "There was a character written for a male that they wanted to turn into a female."
Is she actually talking about Matthew's previous role? Will she be the female Dallas, the veteran male stripper and owner of Xquisite Strip Club? According to Yahoo! Movies, it has been reported she'll be playing a strip club owner.
Given that she's staying mum about the details of her role, all we have right now are speculations.
During the interview with Queen Latifah, Jada also explained that she's at home being around such musclemen.
"I'm used to being around beefcake like that because you know who I live with!" she humorously quipped, obviously referring to husband Will Smith. "I'm used to that kind of beefcake-ness in my environment. I can handle it!"
The "Gotham" star is not the only female on the "Magic Mike 2" cast, though. There's Amber Heard and Andie MacDowell, whose roles are yet to be revealed in detail.
"As for the returning male actors, they reportedly include Matt Bomer, Gabriel Iglesias, and Joe Manganiello, along with Tatum," Yahoo! Movies said. "There's no final word yet on whether Alex Pettyfer, who played strip-club newbie Adam 'The Kid,' will be back for 'XXL.'"
Looks like this is one good-looking sequel, based on the cast alone!
The site also noted that Jada taking on a role that was supposedly written for a male actor has her joining "a very elite club" of "take-charge actresses" who've done a similar move. Angelina Jolie, for one, took on "Salt," which was initially meant for a male lead actor. Jodie Foster ("Flightplan") and Sigourney Weaver ("Alien") are other examples.
Incidentally, the actress plays a Mob boss in TV show "Gotham," which is a prequel of Batman.
"Magic Mike XXL" is set to be released on July 1, 2015.