While Channing Tatum might have been joking with People when he suggested an older version of “Magic Mike,” it’s worth mentioning that the actor’s credits include a long list of bizarre comedies. In 2022 alone, he lent his conviction for silliness to “The Lost City” and “Bullet Train.” The former saw him portray a pampered book cover model, and the latter saw him question his sexuality for Brad Pitt. And if you look even further into his filmography, there’s everything from “Free Guy” (where he plays a ‘dudebro’ videogame avatar) to “This is the End” (where Tatum’s one of the best — and most NSFW — cameos). For better or worse, Tatum is committed to keeping it absurd.
Tatum seemingly began his path toward comedy back in 2006 with “She’s the Man,” which co-starred Amanda Bynes and riffed on William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” Before that point, his career was set to be a string of stereotypically attractive-yet-bland love interests, but afterward, Hollywood realized that Tatum’s willingness to put everything on the line for a good joke could make for memorable screen time. And honestly? “Grumpy Old Strippers” would be the perfect continuation of that trend.