January 2023
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are announced as the leads of It Ends With Us, based on the Colleen Hoover book of the same name. They are cast as characters Lily and Ryle, who's idealic romance turns into an abusive relationship.
Baldoni is also chosen to be the director and his production company Wayfarer Entertainment secured rights to the book.
Initially, there is excitement around the actors coming on board with Hoover calling it a 'dream'.
May 2023
Filming begins for the movie in New Jersey but is quickly halted just weeks later due to the writers' strike in the US.
Things only get started again in January 2024 and the scheduled release date is pushed back from February 9 to June 21 and then August 9. Some pictures later emerge from the set, with fans convinced the actors look tense while communicating.
August 2024
The press tour for It Ends With Us gets underway, and fans quickly spot that something doesn't seem right. When the film premiered in New York, it was noted that Baldoni spent little to no time with any of the cast and crew, nor did he take any photos with them. This apparent rift was compounded at the screening in which the film was introduced by Blake and Colleen. Again, he was no way to be seen.
Lively and Baldoni keep their interviews separate, and seem to strike a different tone. While Baldoni highlighted the reality of domestic abuse, Lively was the centre of huge backlash as people complained about her seemingly light-hearted approach to promoting a film that includes heavy themes such as domestic violence.
However, the discussion rapidly turned from the film promotion to unearthing old interviews with Lively or generally criticising her style, personality, and life.
Despite the hints of backstage fracture, Baldoni complimented Lively in some interviews. While speaking to Movies.ie, Baldoni spoke about how great it was to work with Lively, describing her as an ‘all-encompassing creative who makes everything she touches better’.
He added: ‘I believe she gave the performance of a lifetime, and I can’t wait for people to see how great she is in this film.’
December 21 2024
In an 80-page legal document Lively accused Baldoni of ‘repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour’.
Lively’s complaint claims that during filming, the atmosphere on set became so uncomfortable that an all-staff meeting was called to try and work through the problems creating a hostile set.
The studio behind the romantic drama is also accused of embarking on a ‘multi-tiered plan’ to damage Lively’s reputation.
In the complaint for damages, which precedes a lawsuit, Baldoni, his publicists and Wayfarer Studios are listed among the defendants. Baldoni and his team deny the allegations.
Unearthed texts reportedly from Baldoni’s publicist to the studio,
Columbia Pictures Wayfarer Studios’ publicist, claim he ‘wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried’ were obtained through a subpoena as part of the case.
One exchange between public relationship executives said to be involved in the campaign depicts them gleefully discussing how ‘easy’ it was to turn people online against Lively.
After feedback from Baldoni’s team, Melissa Nathan — who worked with Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard trial — allegedly said: ‘We can’t write we will destroy her.’
In a statement through her attorney at the time of filing, Lively said: ‘I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.’
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement provided to Just Jared: ‘TAG PR operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources.
‘The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on.
‘It’s ironic that the New York Times, through their effort to ‘uncover’ an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively’s own dubious PR tactics by publishing leaked personal text exchanges that lack critical context — the very same tactics she’s accusing the firm of implementing.’
He also added: ‘These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.’
The New York Times publish an article entitled ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine. The report includes the allegations that Baldoni and his team set out to try to create a negative portryal of Lively.
December 31 2024
10 plaintiffs – including Baldoni, Heath, Nathan and Abel – sue The New York Times for $250 million (£199 million) in a complaint lodged in a court in Los Angeles. They accuse the newspaper of libel and false light invasion of privacy (this tort protects people from having misleading or damaging information about them made public) over the article about Lively’s allegations, claiming that journalists ‘cherry-picked’ information and ‘altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead’.
A representative for the publication insisted the story was ‘meticulously and responsibly reported’ and they plan to ‘vigorously defend’ the lawsuit.
Baldoni claims that Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds ‘berated’ him during a meeting held at their home on January 4, which was also attended by It Ends With Us producers and a representative of Sony. Baldoni alleges that Reynolds ‘aggressively’ accused him of ‘fat shaming’ Lively.
‘They arrived eager to discuss plans for the next day’s filming, prepared with their production materials. Instead, they were blindsided by Lively and Reynolds, who presented a list of grievances that were both unanticipated and troubling,’ the legal document reads, the Daily Mail reports.
Baldoni also says that he was asked to apologise for actions against Lively that he believes were mischaracterised and demonstrably false. He claims that he’s ‘never been spoken to like that in his life’ and his refusal to express regret further enraged Deadpool actor Reynolds.
Further claims include that Lively took over the movie project from him, she wouldn’t allow him attend an It Ends With Us premiere, and refused to walk the red carpet with him. He also says Reynolds approached Baldoni’s agent at William Morris Endeavor and demanded that the agent ‘drop’ him.
Tactics were employed by Lively and Reynolds to damage him, Baldoni summarised.
On the same day, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in a federal court in New York. In court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the star claimed Baldoni, his studio Wayfarer, and his public relations managers Nathan and Abel, orchestrated a campaign against her as retaliation for speaking out over alleged sexual misconduct on the set.
She is asking for both ‘punitive’ and ‘compensatory’ damages and a jury trial. She is claiming that defendants Baldoni, his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis PR Melissa Nathan have caused her ‘mental pain and anguish,’ as well as ‘severe and serious emotional distress’ and ‘lost wages.’
In the complaint, Lively alleged she had told producers that she was concerned about Baldoni's behaviour on set and claimed that he improvised 'physical intimacy' scenes without rehearsal or an intimacy coordinator.
She also alleged Baldoni attempted to add a graphic sex scene to It Ends with Us without any discussion.
Elsewhere, Lively claimed she had inappropriate interactions with Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, with her reporting that they entered her trailer unannounced while she was getting ready on multiple occasions.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star also alleged she reported Baldoni and Heath's behaviour to superiors, but her concerns weren't taken further.
Attorneys for Blake Lively shared a statement regarding the lawsuits with Metro: ‘Nothing in this lawsuit [against New York Times] changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today.
‘This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice “not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,” and that “litigation was never her ultimate goal.”
‘As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.’
Previously, lawyer Bryan Freedman denied all of Lively's claims against his client, Baldoni.
