Is Justin Timberlake finally returning to the recording studio? If you ask producer Jim Beanz, the answer is yes.
"When I get back to the States I'm going to be helping out on 'Shock Value 3' with Timbaland and the Justin Timberlake project," Beanz told Digital Spy. He added: "It's still in the early stages, but they have a lot of tracks."
UPDATE: Or they don't. Timberlake's publicist tells EW.com that the only plans in the works are for "Shock Value 3" and "that's it." The original story continues below.
Although Beanz promises something "crazy," he also hinted that Timberlake's new material isn't trying to top his previous popular albums. "[I]t's not really about topping the last record, it's more about topping music that comes on the radio," the producer said, before adding that Timberlake would "kill" the new record.
Now, before you dust off your "Justin Timberlake is bring sexy back" jokes, there is a chance that Beanz could be referring to "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" soundtrack, which Timberlake signed on to produce in May. The film is set to start shooting later this year, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, It-girl Chloe Moretz and Timberlake's fiance Jessica Biel in starring roles. (Biel and Timberlake are supposedly tying the knot sometime this summer.)
"The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" tells the story of a group of New Orleans natives who build a raft to cross the Atlantic after Morgan's character loses his wife. Timberlake will also serve as music supervisor, as previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Timberlake hasn't put out an album since 2006's chart-topping Future Sex/Love Sounds and he has long explained his absence from music as a matter of shifting interests. (The former *NSYNC member has since starred in a number of films, from "The Social Network" to "Friends With Benefits.") Timberlake has often discussed his love for music, but he's also called the music industry as corrupting.
In June of 2011, he told Playboy that music was always on his mind.
"You go through these spurts when you miss it. In a perfect world I'd love to be able to involve myself in music and films as they come and go," he said. "But I'm always writing music, always thinking about ideas for songs."
"Unfortunately, the business of music is what taints an artist's desire to make music," he continued at the time. "I don't want to paint a picture of being jaded, because I love making music. I honestly love it. But there is a level where making music becomes a total life-sucking commitment."
For more scoop on Timberlake's rumored musical comeback, head on over to Digital Spy.
