Long before the “It’s Gonna Be May” memes, boy band NSYNC sang us into the turn of the 21st century with “Bye, Bye, Bye” – a masterclass in pop music considering its lyrics and choreography are still not out of our collective consciousness 20 years later. But instead of Hollywood pulling off a Bohemian Rhapsody-like biopic about NSYNC, Sony is making a musical centering on the true story of a pair of fans who followed them cross country during their final tour.
The wild premise was pitched by Lance Bass himself, one of the five band members of NSYNC. Bass found out about Meredith Sandberg and Winter Byington’s story on an episode of MTV’s Total Request Live. It ain’t no lie, the superfans decided to quit school and make the trek to see NSYNC after they won a Winnebago on The Price is Right. Bass has been sitting on the idea for quite some time, but now Sony Pictures just moved the project forward.
Emmy-winning Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creator and star Rachel Bloom has just signed on to write the script, per Entertainment Weekly. Here’s what Bloom said following the announcement:
I’m so excited to work on this road trip musical that will explore the nature of early 2000’s nostalgia and if the past was, indeed, actually better. Also, I GET TO WORK WITH LANCE BASS!
This seriously could not be a better choice, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fans know exactly what I’m talking about. From 2015 to 2019, Rachel Bloom was the star of a musical comedy series about a woman who goes to West Covina, California in a secret stalker move all about her summer camp boyfriend. The series has a cult following and earned Bloom a Golden Globe in 2016.
From the looks of Rachel Bloom and Lance Bass’ involvement, one would imagine the NSYNC movie would include a mixture of original music and famous songs from the boy band. Since boy bands thrive off their young entourage, there’s no better way to showcase the band’s hold over its fanbase than a fun movie focusing on this true story. Check out Winter and Meredith with NSYNC back in the day:
It sounds like a truly interesting story, and one that Lance Bass has reportedly been pitching out for 20 years. Earlier this year, Bass said the movie will definitely be a comedy, and a few of the names they had in mind to star were Amy Schumer and Ellie Kemper. He was looking for a “strong female writer” and a woman to direct as well.
Will former NSYNC member Justin Timberlake get involved too? Timberlake and Bloom recently starred in Trolls World Tour together, so maybe it could happen. This is an exciting take on the music biopic format we’ll keep tabs on.
