Channing Tatum is no stranger to romance, starring in blockbuster movies like The Vow and Dear John, but now, he’s writing a romance of his own. Along with Roxane Gay, the author of the New York Times best-selling essay collection Bad Feminist, Tatum is releasing his first romance novel.
The steamy story will follow two people who made a pact to get married after they turned forty. “You know how so many people make these little pacts?” Gay said when she appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Like, ‘If we both turn 40 and we’re still single let’s get married.’ So they actually get married and then they fall in love afterwards.” She goes on to call it: “A voluntary arranged marriage. With lots and lots of sex in a bakery.”
Although Tatum is mostly known for his illustrious history of acting and film producing, this isn’t his first time writing an original story. In 2021, he launched the bestselling Sparkella picture book trilogy, which is about the love between a father and daughter. The books were inspired by his own daughter, Everly, who he had with Jenna Dewan in 2013. Sparkella is currently being turned into a live-action movie at MGM with Tatum himself set to star in it.
As for his adult novel, the book is set to release in 2027, although it has been in the works for a while. The pair have reportedly been in talks about the project since all the way back in 2017. "It's been a little stalled because both of our schedules have just been ridiculous,” Gay has admitted.
There aren’t many other details available about the plot or the title at this time, but when asked what to expect when you read, Gay teased, “It’s very sexy. Lots and lots of sex.”
