Mark Wahlberg and the Backstreet Boys are the two names that define widely different corners of the 1990s pop culture. One carved a path through hip-hop and Hollywood, the other dominated the music sphere with harmonies and heartthrob appeal. At first glance, their worlds seem poles apart, each basking in its own fan frenzy and cultural wave. However, behind the glitz and genre lines lies an unexpected thread, one that quietly ties the action star to the Orlando vocal group in a way very few can imagine.

Before the hits and Hollywood fame, a surprising twist nearly brought Mark Wahlberg and the Backstreet Boys into the same orbit.

Mark Wahlberg was never a Backstreet Boy, but there is a fascinating link between him and the iconic vocal group—and it runs through family ties. Wahlberg’s older brother, Donnie Wahlberg, was a member of New Kids on the Block, one of the original boy bands. Donnie not only found massive success with NKOTB, but he also inspired Lou Pearlman to create Backstreet Boys, which acts as a connection between the Wahlberg family and the 'I Want It That Way' hitmakers. 

Donnie Wahlberg, moreover, helped Mark Wahlberg launch his musical career through his own eponymous boy band, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, steering him from a troubled past to the spotlight. Years later, Donnie’s ability to breathe magic into boy bands spawned a collaborative New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys supergroup called NKOTBSB. The group—featuring Donnie, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Jordan Knight, AJ McLean, Joey McIntyre, Howie Dorough, Jonathan Knight, and Danny Wood—embarked on a joint tour in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia in 2011. While Donnie Wahlberg continued his musical career from the 1990s to the 2000s, Mark Wahlberg became a Tinseltown favorite, blazing his own trail both as an actor and producer.

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Mark Wahlberg very recently made headlines for potentially locking a project in the latter capacity. 

Gloves could meet script as Manny Pacquiao expresses desire for a biopic film on him. Speaking to TMZ, the boxer explained that Mark Wahlberg would be his first choice to lead the project, as he is someone who has seen him train for his fights and is someone who “almost knows all my life stories.” The collaboration promises a blend of real and reel star power, with Pacquiao even suggesting that his son might step into the ring as his younger self.

Manny Pacquiao’s aforementioned silver screen dream is not an entirely fresh concept. The boxer had experimented with biopics in 2006 with Pacquiao: The Movie; however, that one did not rise commercially to meet the creators’ expectations. Despite the earnest efforts, the offering lacked storytelling and production muscles that Mark Wahlberg promises to lend to the plausible forthcoming effort. He, whose forgotten sci-fi flick has recently climbed the Netflix chart, after all, is known to tie legacies—be it the one with his brother Donnie Wahlberg and the Backstreet Boys or his conjectured production gig.

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Do you find the Mark Wahlberg and Backstreet Boys connection fascinating? Let us know in the comments.