The Trolls movies are about to get an influx of *NSYNC fans. The trailer for DreamWorks’ upcoming animated movie Trolls Band Together, the third installment of the Trolls franchise, includes a hint about the storyline of Justin Timberlake’s character, Branch, who is in the process of reuniting with his boy band. A source has now told Entertainment Tonight, “JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick are expected to have surprise roles in the third Trolls film, Trolls Band Together, with Justin Timberlake.” According to the source, the quintet will also reunite as “NSYNC” to release a new song, the first single the group has released together since 2001’s “Girlfriend.” In response to ET’s inquiry, Universal has not yet confirmed this news, nor is the studio commenting on it at this time.
In the trailer for Trolls Band Together, it appears as though Branch’s character is connected to Timberlake’s past boy band days. It is revealed in the trailer that Branch, along with his four brothers —Troye Sivan, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, and Eric André — were once part of a group called BroZone together. Upon learning that one of the brothers, Floyd (Sivan), has been kidnapped, John Dory (André) sets out to find Branch in order to reunite them. “Branch, we’re out of sync,” Floyd tells his brother in a trailer flashback, further suggesting boy band connections. “We’ve gone from boys to men, and now there’s only one direction for us to go: to the back streets.”
Fans have been requesting an NSYNC reunion for years, and the members have gathered in different configurations for several special events, the most recent being Ryan Cabrera’s wedding to Alexa Bliss, for which they performed “Bye Bye Bye.” However, Timberlake would be performing with the other four members for the first time since 2002, when they split up as a group. Timberlake told The Radio Times (via The Mirror) in January 2021 that he wouldn’t rule out reuniting with *NSYNC but to “never say never.” The singer told the Radio Times that while his personal life and family were his primary concern, he hasn’t ruled out a reunion in “months or years to come.” In response to a question about reuniting with the boys, the “Can’t Stop The Feeling” singer explained: “I don’t have a crystal ball for what will happen with the music industry in the months, or years, to come. That’s something that weighs on my mind in a heavy way. “We will have to see what happens in terms of live music, and I appreciate the question, but my focus right now is on [his 2021 film] Palmer.”