90s R&B Legends Boyz II Men Are The Latest Musical Act To Get The Biopic Treatment

The iconic 90s R&B group Boyz II Men are the latest music stars getting the biopic treatment.

It was announced Thursday that current group members Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, and Shawn Stockman would be teaming up with Compelling Pictures and Primary Wave to bring the story of the “Motownphilly” collective to screens around the world.

The world was first introduced to Boyz II Men – Wanya, Nathan, Shawn, and Michael McCary -  in 1991, when the group dropped the anthemic “Motownphilly” as their first single.

The banger would boost their first album, Cooleyhighharmony (a reference to the 1975 film Cooley High, and the high school where the four friends first met, Chicago’s Cooley Vocational High School, as noted by Genius), to the top 5 of the Billboard album charts.

From there, the group would skyrocket to fame with multiple hits including a cover of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday” from the Cooley High soundtrack, “End of the Road,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a staggering 13 weeks, and “I’ll Make Love To You,” which broke the record “End of the Road” set by peaking at no. 1 for 14 weeks.

However, it was their collaboration with legendary vocalist Mariah Carey, the bittersweet “One Sweet Day,” that would break the mold by staying at no. 1 for 16 weeks. The record wouldn’t be broken until 2018 with Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which bested the reign set by “One Sweet Day” by two additional weeks.

To date, Boyz II Men has sold 64 million albums worldwide, won four Grammy Awards, and were recognized by Billboard as being the biggest boy band between the years of 1987-2012. Sadly, original member Michael McCary would depart the group in 2003 due to multiple sclerosis.

As Variety explains, the Boyz II Men biopic is being fast-tracked for release. Thanks to the involvement of the original group, the producers will have access to the group’s full discography, bringing even more reality to their story.

Producers Denis O’Sullivan (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Jeff Khalligheri (I Just Wanna Dance With Somebody) promise Boyz II Men fans that the group’s story is in good hands.

“Having grown up as huge fans of Boyz II Men, and having spent the past couple of years getting to know the guys and become friends with them, it’s a tremendous honor to help bring their unique and untold story to the big screen,” the producers expressed in a statement.

“We’re excited to show the brotherhood and comradery, as well as the challenges and strife, humor and heartbreak, that has accompanied the unparalleled success that Nate, Shawn, Wanya, and Mike have worked so hard to achieve.”

They went on to say, “we think the global audience will want to sing along to a sexy, funny, aspirational, uplifting celebration of friendships and artistic partnerships that have stood the test of time.”

Fans will also have a chance to learn more about Boyz II Men with an accompanying documentary, also produced by Compelling Pictures, that will present "the group’s dominance in the 1990s and 2000s and continued success today."

With so much history in their career, the fans of Boyz II Men seem to be thrilled that the vocalists are not only getting the privilege of having their story told, but that the group are part of the process in making it happen.

“[I’ve] been waiting for this since forever. [“Motownphilly”] was my jam growing up,” X/Twitter user nathaliemayy shared.

Another X member, livingdvnly, expressed her wish to have McCary be as involved with the biopic as the other Boyz II Men members.

“I truly hope Michael is a part of this journey,” they wrote.

Among fans’ excitement for the project were, incidentally, mentions of the more controversial and questionable moments of the group’s history, and questions of if they would be included in the Boyz II Men biopic.

With a career spanning nearly 40 years (the group first came together in 1985), it makes sense that Boyz II Men’s road to fame would hit a few speed bumps. Still, out of all of the events that have occurred, one specific situation is getting more mentions than the others.

For years, rumors have persisted that Wanya Morris courted and dated fellow singer Brandy Norwood when she was just a teenager.

The two would come together professionally for the Soulpower Mix to Norwood’s “Brokenhearted” in 1995, when Brandy was 16 and Wanya was around 22. Norwood and Morris would eventually date, but the timeline of their pairing has consistently raised eyebrows.

In 2021, Wanya addressed the rumors after they kicked up once again on social media. According to him, he and Brandy had a platonic relationship until she was 18.

“I was young at the time. I wasn’t thirty-nothing. What happened is, she became kind of like my little protégé,” he explained in an Instagram Live, as written by Atlanta Black Star.

“Once she turned of age, we had been hanging around each other so much that there came to be some sort of connection. An intimate connection. We actually fell in love.”

“There’s no lie going on here,” he went on to say. “You can ask Brandy [herself] and she will tell you the same story.”

To date, Norwood has never spoken on her relationship with Morris.

Though no set date for the Boyz II Men biopic and documentary have been given, the group feels that the producers at Compelling Pictures are the best ones to deliver their story to the world.

“We’ve been waiting to find the right partners who understand our story and are willing to tell it all,” Nathan Morris said on behalf of his group mates. “Denis and Jeff at Compelling Pictures understood us [on] day 1.”