Channing Tatum is terrified that moviemaker Steven Soderbergh will honor a promise to return for a Magic Mike sequel - and serve as the actor's directing sidekick.

Tatum has revealed he's developing the film, which is based loosely on his own experiences as a male stripper, and really wants Soderbergh to return as director, but the filmmaker insists he's serious about his plans to retire and he'll only sign up if the actor takes over the project, and makes him his director of photography.

The movie hunk says, "He really wants to be done directing movies. We'll see. I wish people would lobby him to finish what he started: 'Come on, man! Stop being stubborn and come back'. I've said that to him, but he is a very fixed-in-his-ways guy, and if he says it, it is hard to change.

"That's sort of where we are at - either (producing partner) Reid Carolin and I will direct it together, or we'll have Greg Jacobs direct. He worked as a producer on the movie and has been Steven's right-hand man for almost 25 movies. Right now, we're just trying to clean up the story, and then we'll make a decision.

"But it is hard for me and Reid to direct after one of the greatest directors of our time. Steven... has said he would shoot it; he would DP it... (but) he is such an opinionated and talented man, if he wants to do a five-minute tracking shot through a forest, you don't want to doubt him. It would be like having sex with your girlfriend while her porn-star ex-boyfriend is in the room watching you."