Actor Channing Tatum is in the Bay area shooting a movie based on his early years as an exotic dancer before becoming a Hollywood star.
"Magic Mike" is an independently produced film directed by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh, which stars Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer.
According to the Internet Movie Database, Tatum attended Gaither High School in Tampa before going to Tampa Catholic High School, where he graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic.
After turning down a football scholarship to Glenville State College in Glenville, W.Va., he worked a variety of jobs, including one as an exotic dancer at a local nightclub under the name "Chan Crawford."
For "Magic Man," film crews spent the early part of the week shooting at Caddy's on the Beach in St. Petersburg and around Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. Today, they are scheduled to shoot scenes on the Pinellas Bayway and at a Pinellas County construction site before heading to Tampa on Sunday.
A publicist for the film said the shoot has been going well.
The film is expected to shoot in Ybor City for four days. The publicist said they are reluctant to say specifically where the filming will take place because of distractions from fans seeking autographs and photos.
Tatum and Pettyfer will be part of the Tampa shoot. McConaughey was here earlier in the week but is back in Los Angeles, where the majority of the movie is being shot.
This is the second Soderbergh-directed movie filmed in the Bay area. In 2001, Soderbergh filmed several scenes from "Ocean's Eleven" at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg.
The "Magic Mike" budget reportedly is $20 million, with $1 million being spent in Florida.
The movie is scheduled to open in 2012.
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