The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC are finally teaming up for a new movie despite their heated boy band rivalry as pop giants in the late 90's.
Twelve years after both pop groups fought over the hearts of millions of fans worldwide, BSB's Nick Carter and AJ McLean, and *NSYNC's Joey Fatone are going to star in a zombie apocalypse movie.
Carter, who is writing, directing and starring as a hero along with Fatone, is currently working with Asylum to produce the movie that will cast McLean as the villain.
"Think about it," Carter told BuzzFeed. "Boy-banders, people from the late '90s, people who you love, fighting zombies in a post-apocalyptic world. Pretty crazy, right?"
Addressing their rivalry that started in 1998, Carter explained it was "all contrived" and just "the media being bored."
Carter recalled his awkward encounter with Fatone at the MTV Movie Awards. "We shared the same management, same label...but they would always kinda keep us away, apart, but there was actually no legitimate reason," Fatone said. "This is such therapy for us," the broadway actor added.
The boy bands were first managed by Lou Pearlman before each of their legal battles. The Backstreet Boys were first to hit success after forming the group in 1994.
With the release of their European debut album in 1996 and U.S. album in 1997, the boy band rose in the music charts with singles like "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," "I'll Never Break Your Heart", and "All I Have To Give". BSB sold 28 million copies of their first and second album worldwide.
In 1999, Backstreet Boys released their "Millenium" album that sold 12 million copies in the U.S.
After leaving Lou Pearlman's management, *NSYNC (which was formed in 1996) joined fellow pop artists including Britney Spears by signing to Jive Records in 1999 for their second album, "No Strings Attached," following their self-titled debut album released by BMG records in 1998.
With the carrier single, "Bye, Bye, Bye", "No Strings Attached" became the fastest selling album of all time, selling 1 million copies on the first day of its release and 2.5 million copies on its first week in 2000.
With hits like "Pop", "Gone", and "Girlfriend", *NSYNC's "Celebrity" album also took the second place for its record-breaking success.
*NSYNC disbanded in 2002 after Justin Timberlake left to pursue a solo career and the Backstreet Boys suffered declining sales from their succeeding albums. However the BSB reunited and are now getting back in the industry.
Other members of *NSYNC are now pursuing acting careers in film and television.