Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
Gotham/GC Images; Gotham/WireImageJustin Baldoni is accusatory Blake Lively of a concerted effort to remove him from the filming process for their 2024 drama It ends with us.
In addition to claiming that Lively tried to I’m exploring creative direction of him Baldoni, who also directed the film, claimed that Lively, 37, tried to bar him from the film’s premiere.
Baldoni’s accusation came to trial he filed on Tuesday, December 31, vs New York Times. He is seeking $250 million in damages on four claims, including defamation and invasion of privacy.
The case received from Us Weeklyclaims that Lively “systematically excluded (him) from the marketing of his own film.”
UPDATE on 12/31/21 11:30 p.m. ET: Justin Baldoni was one of 10 plaintiffs who filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times following reports about actor Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. The plaintiffs in the case, which also include publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, as well as It Ends With Us (…)
“Further undermining Baldoni’s role, Lively initially refused to allow him to attend the film’s premiere,” the lawsuit says. “Only after considerable pressure did she reluctantly agree to allow Baldoni and the Wayfarer team to attend, but on humiliating terms. The Wayfarer crew and their families, including Baldoni and (producer Jamie) Heath, were separated from the main cast, deprived of the exclusive after-party and forced to organize their own event at additional expense.”
Blake Lively
Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesThe suit further details Lively’s alleged effort to kick out Baldoni and his family at the film’s premiere.
“Baldoni’s red carpet appearance was interrupted, and his family and friends were confined to a makeshift holding area in the basement before being escorted to a separate theater after Lively’s departure,” the suit continues. “Not only did Lively steal the movie, but she also robbed Baldoni and his team of any real opportunity to celebrate their hard work.”
Baldoni, 40, further accuses Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for using bullying tactics to get him “kicked out” of his own film. In addition to her alleged effort to ban Baldoni from the premiere, the suit says Reynolds, 48, tried to use his influence to convince Baldoni’s agent to drop him as a client.
At first, it looked like Justin Baldoni would have nothing but positive things to say about his It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively as reports of an on-set feud continue to circulate online. The drama officially hits theaters in August 2024, and Baldoni, who directs and stars alongside Lively, has heaped praise on his on-screen partner. (…)
“Baldoni and (Wayfarer Studios) became increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of as their actions appeared to be aimed at destroying Baldoni’s career and personal life,” the suit says.
Lively’s attorney responded to Baldoni’s lawsuit by saying in a statement to Us Weekly that this does not change the charges she brought against him.
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims presented in Ms. Lively’s California Division of Civil Rights complaint, nor her federal complaint filed earlier today,” the statement said. “This case rests on the patently false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer et al was a ruse based on a choice ‘not to sue Baldoni, Wayfarer’ and that ‘the lawsuit was never her end goal’. As evidenced by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is incorrect. While we will not argue this matter in the press, we encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s full complaint. We look forward to addressing each of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
