The Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni film It Ends with Us has been a smash hit, but could offscreen drama between the lead actress and her co-star producer-director prevent them from reuniting for the onscreen drama's sequel?
With box office totals for the $25 million movie possibly reaching as high as $300 million before its run ends, Variety estimates, the movie has become the best-earning project for both leads — and will make a fortune for Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios production shingle.
There's even a follow-up book to the original from Colleen Hoover called It Starts with Us, which technically could spin a sequel.
However, an insider tells the trade, "There's probably no world where these two will work together again," adding, "This is uncharted territory."
Neither star has directly addressed the rumored bad blood, which some reports say stemmed from Lively overriding Baldoni on the final cut of the movie. Other whispers were that Baldoni was allegedly something of a bully on set. Lively also took flak for promoting a film about an abusive relationship as if it was a rom-com.
There's also the matter of her husband, Ryan Reynolds, allegedly rewriting a scene without either telling Baldoni — and possibly while the Writers Guild was on strike in 2023.
Whatever the real story is, it's obvious that a sequel to a blockbuster won't be the no-brainer it usually is in Hollywood.
Baldoni's abusive character, Ryle, has a smaller role in the second book, but he's still a producer and the rights-holder on any potential follow-up, so he and Lively still would have to cooperate to get it made.
As for directing the sequel, he told Entertainment Weekly at the movie's premiere, "I think there are better people for that. I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct."