The NSYNC Biopic That Almost Was (Exclusive)
NSYNC fans clamoring for the return of the boy band will have to wait a little longer, as a gestating biopic project appears to be on hold.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that veteran producer Neal H. Moritz, known for The Fast and the Furious and Sonic the Hedgehog, has been shopping the feature, which would focus on the group’s success in the aftermath of its legal battle with former manager Lou Pearlman, and has met with the five members — Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick — to seek their participation.
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The project proceeded to the screenwriting stage amid talk of attaching Timberlake as an executive producer. But its road to the screen faced immediate challenges. Namely, the signoffs of all five members who share ownership in the name and each of whom is represented by a different management firm. “It’s complicated,” says one insider of the dealmaking with the band.
Another says the idea appealed to the group, especially in light of recent box office hits like A Complete Unknown and Bohemian Rhapsody, but they are currently having “internal discussions” about other ideas and potential projects, including a documentary. The source suggests the timing feels off. For instance, there’s not a coinciding tour.
To proceed with a biopic without their endorsement, and access to NSYNC’s original music, would mean fictionalizing the story. “Fans want more NSYNC, we know that,” says the insider, “so if this project was tabled for further discussions, it still leaves a door open.”
NSYNC’s rise seems like a story tailor-made for the current era of ‘90s and early 2000s nostalgia. In 1995, five young men, between the ages of 15 and 24, recorded a demo at Shaquille O’Neal’s house and eventually got signed in Germany. They struck in Europe before returning stateside to become one of the biggest boy bands of the era. Their debut album, NSYNC, reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts in 1998 and featured hits such as “I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart.”
Much of NSYNC’s success was credited to Pearlman, whose bona fides included launching the Backstreet Boys and O-Town. But the relationship soured leading up to a 1999 legal battle over the financials of the group. The members of NSYNC alleged that Pearlman had misrepresented his role and the nature of their contracts, and that he was taking an unfair share of their earnings. The five argued that he was not a “sixth member” of the group as Pearlman had stipulated (taking a fraction of the profits accordingly), he was their manager and entitled to less.
The suit was eventually settled out of court, and the group signed a new recording contract yielding one of the biggest albums of the decade, 2000’s No Strings Attached, which sold 2.4 million copies in its first week. Followed in short order by Celebrity in 2001, both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The band went on permanent hiatus in 2004, with Timberlake going solo and becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the world. (Representatives for individual NSYNC members declined to comment.)
Pearlman’s story ended in a prison sentence after being found guilty of running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history. He died in 2016. Three years later, a documentary titled The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story, produced by Bass, was released. The film serves as a cautionary tale, exposing allegations of Pearlman’s inappropriate behavior with young male performers.
The news comes as music biopics have reached new heights in recent years. Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) earned an eye-popping $910.8 million globally, and the film’s producer Graham King hopes to repeat the magic with the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael, due out Oct. 3 from Lionsgate.
Timothée Chalamet is in theaters with Bob Dylan feature A Complete Unknown, while Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere is currently in production and expected for 2026. Ridley Scott is expected to shoot a Bee Gees biopic later this year, while Sam Mendes’ high-profile series of four Beatles films is currently casting the Fab Four.
Timberlake parlayed his music fame into acclaimed film work, earning praise for turns in The Social Network (2010) and as co-lead of DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls franchise, which was last in theaters with Trolls World Tour in 2023 and included an NSYNC reunion track, their first in nearly 20 years. The hit song “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” from the original Trolls movie earned a Grammy, as well as an Oscar nom.
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