On the surface, It Ends With Us seems like just another tumultuous love story for the post-Nicholas Sparks generation. The novel was first released in 2016 only to generate a large fan base after going viral on TikTok in the early days of pandemic lockdowns in 2020. The book, written by Gen Z whisperer Colleen Hoover, follows Lily Bloom, an aspiring florist who embarks on a turbulent relationship with the aggressive Ryle. For the movie adaptation, Justin Baldoni signed on to direct and star as Ryle, while Blake Lively secured her spot as Lily. But the on-screen drama is only half of the story.
Fans noticed that while promoting the film, Lively and Baldoni had not taken any pictures together. This isn’t that unheard of, but fans took notice. Then, some internet sleuths also realized that Lively, Hoover and most of the cast had unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram, which is the 21st century equivalent of telling someone to “lose my phone number.”
After fans started to draw their own conclusions, suddenly the cast was under a microscope, not unlike the infamous Don’t Worry Darling drama of 2022. Not only was Baldoni absent from various press days, but Lively would barely even mention him. Instead, she praised her husband. “The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it,” Lively told E! while on the red carpet. “He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.” The screenwriter had no idea about this, furthering suggestions that there might have been some tension during production.
Baldoni doesn’t seem to have any issue with Reynolds. When speaking with TODAY, Baldoni praised the actor. “Ryan was so generous…he’s a creative genius, that guy,” he said. But when asked by ET if he would return for a sequel, Baldoni said, “I think that there are better people for that one. I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct,” he said. “That’s what I think.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two might have disagreed about the final cut of the film. Lively reportedly commissioned a cut of the movie from editor Shane Reid, who was an editor on Deadpool & Wolverine, when she was unsatisfied with the direction, but it’s unclear if that contributed to the final cut.
Even Jenny Slate, who stars as Lily’s friend Allysa, dodged questions about Baldoni while at the premiere, as did Hoover. “I think he did a great job. They all did a great job,” she said, before moving into the next question.
Just when you thought the drama might be over, a source told Page Six that Baldoni created an “extremely difficult” set for the cast, and made Lively “uncomfortable.” The source added, “It’s not just Blake. None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin…They certainly didn’t talk to him at the premiere.” Meanwhile, Baldoni has been out and about doing his own promo…by himself.
The cast has been quiet since the movie hit theaters last week, and they likely won’t acknowledge the behind-the-scenes drama. Instead, Lively and Reynolds are probably heading to the bank with their buckets of money from both Deadpool and Wolverine and It Ends With Us. Perhaps this was all a long con to make up for their last film together.
As for the movie itself, the drama surrounding the cast is overshadowing the fact that this is a story touching on abuse that should not be taken lightly.