This article contains spoilers for It Ends With Us.
It Ends With Us has only just come out, but it's release has been overshadowed by an alleged feud between some of its leading stars.
The book-to-screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 best-selling novel follows a florist named Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) who finds herself in an abusive and controlling relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) just as her first love Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar) steps back into her life.
The film has garnered favourable reviews (including this one from us) but word on the street (read: the internet) is that there's some sort of drama brewing between the cast and the movie's leading man and director Justin Baldoni, whose production company Wayfarer Studios first optioned Hoover's bestselling novel back in 2019.
There's all sorts of speculation and blind items doing the rounds on TikTok and X, with the general vibe being that there were potentially creative differences between Lively, who starred and served as executive producer, and Baldoni, who starred and directed.
I think we've seen this film before.
A director clashing with a movie's leading lady? Chaos then unfolding on the press tour? This is straight from the Don't Worry Darling handbook.
Before Brandon released his statement, the internet endured two weeks of non-stop updates to an alleged feud between Justin and the rest of the It Ends With Us cast. So, what exactly had been said that led to Brandon's post?
The Blake Lively Edit vs Justin Baldoni Edit.
Unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter there was a "fracture" in the relationship following post production, when Lively, who was a producer on the film, went around Baldoni and commissioned her own cut of the film from editor Shane Reid, who was the editor on her husband Ryan Reynolds' film Deadpool & Wolverine.
"It's unclear if any of this cut was ultimately used in the final project, which was credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan," they reported.
Along with this, rumours have emerged that Lively occasionally took over directing on set. This has been confounded by clips shared online, plus snippets of Lively and Baldoni's interviews.
In some behind the scenes clips filmed by passers by, people claimed that Lively appeared to be directing Baldoni.
What has Justin Baldoni said about It Ends With Us and Blake Lively?
As mentioned, Baldoni has nothing but praise for Lively on the press tour.
Baldoni told People that she excelled at being "involved in every area of production", referring to her as "a creative force, she's an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant."
He continued, "I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don't believe I've seen in another film," he said.
"The first time I had ever heard Blake play Lily, there was a moment where I completely forgot what we were doing… I was so just mesmerised by what she was doing and who Lily was going to be, that I had to snap out of it."
Positive sentiments aside, he did hint at some tension, as he noted that once Lively was chosen as the perfect Lily, "the movie was going to work. And I just had to get out of the way enough to make sure that it did."
Feature image: Getty.
This article was originally published on August 9, 2024 and has since been updated with new information.
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