Relatively Soderbergh

Relativity Media is taking over the U.S. distribution of Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire from Lionsgate. The action film has a high profile cast featuring Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor and Channing Tatum will now be released in January 2012.

Haywire was produced before it had secured a distributor; however, if your name is Soderbergh, you don't fret as you know your vision will be paid for and well distributed. This time Hollywoodteur producer Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity cashed Soderbergh's dream out.

Apparently Relativity needs film product and has been aggressively going after projects, and if you are a Hollywood child, Relativity has cash to throw around for flickster sell-outs. Previously title Knockout, Haywire tells the story of a freelance covert operative (Carano) who is betrayed during a mission in Barcelona. The screenplay was written by Lem Dobbs with Gregory Jacobs and Lem Dobbs producing.

Soderbergh has had one of the more interesting raises to Hollywood statue, truly selecting projects that reflect his love of the craft and art of filmmaking and storytelling. One can always expect a certain freshness in a Soderbergh film joint. Here is a peek at Haywire in production.

Mike's Magic for Steven Soderbergh

Hold onto your g-strings and grab your one dollar bills! Oft declared retiring auteur film director Steven Soderbergh, the visionary filmmaker who broke Hollywood barriers with sex, lies, and videotape and Out of Sight is committed to direct Channing Tatum in Magic Mike. Tatum plays the title character, who schools a young dancer in how to hustle on and off the stage during a wild summer of dancing, partying and women. At its core, Magic Mike is a story of friendship set in the world of male strippers inspired by Channing's own experiences as a stripper when he was 19.

"When Channing talked to me about this, I thought it was one of the best ideas I'd ever heard for a movie," Soderbergh said in a statement. "I said I wanted in immediately. It's sexy, funny and shocking. We're using Saturday Night Fever as our model, so hopefully we're on the right track." As for Tatum: "This was a wild and pivotal time in my life and I couldn't be more thrilled to go down the rabbit hole with Steven." Currently, shooting 21 Jump Street, Channing will next be seen starring in The Vow with Rachel McAdams.

With his blurred notion of retirement, Soderbergh has several projects in the pipeline including the newly completed the action driven Haywire starring maritial arts fighter Gina Carano, releasing in August. Soderbergh followed that by shooting Contagion, a drama about the outbreak of a deadly virus with Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard for October. Also on the Soderbergh docket are Liberace with Douglas and Damon and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. with his former partner and frequent onscreen collaborator George Clooney.

Soderbergh's film production single-handedly changed the landscape of independent cinema by forging monetary success commanded by hollywoodteurs along with intelligent indie films which reached audiences well beyond the arthouse cinema circuit.