Although Colleen Hoover fans eagerly awaited the book-to-movie adaptation of the best-selling novel It Ends With Us, many noticed there seemed to be drama with the film’s two biggest stars, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Though the movie was a success at the box office and has potential for a sequel, some have wondered if the rumored feud between the stars will affect the franchise’s future.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively ‘It Ends With Us’ Feud Rumors
Blake and Justin star as onscreen love interests Lily and Ryle, but their romance quickly takes a dark turn when it becomes abusive. The situation grows even more complex when Lily’s first love, Atlas — played by Brandon Sklenar — reenters her life.
Despite Justin’s praise for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress as a “powerhouse” screen partner, rumors of on-set drama began swirling when the father of two was conspicuously absent from several press events and cast photos ahead of the movie’s August 9, 2024, release.
Social media users also noticed that Blake, Colleen and other cast members unfollowed Justin on Instagram, according to The Sun.
“Why hasn’t he posed for photos with the rest of the cast?” one user commented on a post the House Bunny actor shared on August 8, 2024, where he was seen answering questions at a press event.
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“What happened that Justin is being excluded from promoting the film? In addition to being the director of the film, he is one of the main actors. What an ugly thing to do. Be professional,” another added. “We love Justin. I hope this wasn’t due to any outbreak of stardom from the other protagonist.”
On August 9, 2024, Page Six reported that Justin made Blake “feel uncomfortable about her postpartum body” on the set of the film, but it wasn’t just The Town star that Justin reportedly made feel uneasy. Another source told the publication that he “created an extremely difficult atmosphere” for everyone.
“It’s not just Blake,” the insider revealed. “None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin …They certainly didn’t talk to him at the premiere.”
However, sources who worked with the Five Feet Apart producer in the past told Page Six that he would “never intentionally set out to make any of his actors feel unsupported.”
Theories About the ‘It Ends With Us’ Cast Drama
It is unclear if there is tension brewing between the two It Ends With Us costars, but internet users were quick to draw their own suspicions as to why the A-listers have been avoiding each other on the red carpet.
Justin worked as a director on the film, while Blake also took on a major role as a producer. TikTok user nadiagreads shared a video speculating that the alleged feud might stem from disagreements over a “fluff” press run to promote a movie that addresses sensitive topics like domestic violence. The upload generated major buzz online, garnering more than 45,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
“Somehow Ryan Reynolds got involved for some reason and wrote a couple scenes,” she says about the dynamic of the film. “I know Justin Baldoni said in an interview that he purposely took a back seat in some of the intimate scenes so that the woman could take control of that and give it the female gaze.”
Her comment was in reference to a comment Blake made to E! News saying, “The iconic rooftop scene, my husband [Ryan Reynolds] actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you now. We help each other. He works on everything I do; I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.”
The video’s creator theorized that The Forgotten Ones actor was “bulldozed” during the creative process, “creating a bit of a disconnect.”
“Blake Lively is very popular and she’s very close with Colleen during this whole thing,” she concluded. “I think that the way that this PR is going, he wants no part in it. That’s my opinion.”
Social media users quickly hopped into the comment section and shared their takes on the alleged feud.
“THIS RIGHT HERE. Justin is the main one speaking about the severity and importance of this movie,” one follower wrote. Meanwhile, another added, “His interviews have been wonderful to watch, he is focused on the awareness part.”
However, the film’s screenwriter Christy Hall later told People she was not aware of any rewrites. “There were a couple of little things that I thought had been improvised,” she said. “Like when he says, ‘Pretty please with a cherry on top,’ and she talks about the maraschino cherries,” Christy said. “When I saw a cut I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cute. That must have been a cute improvised thing.’ So if I’m being told that Ryan wrote that, then great, how wonderful.”
She continued, “There were a few little flourishes that I did not write, but I assumed that they had been improvised on set … If those flourishes came from Ryan, I think that’s wonderful.”
Another topic Blake has been open about when it comes to the movie is that she and the film’s creative team didn’t agree with some of the music choices. While speaking to Hits Radio UK, she explained that she had to persuade the team to include Lana Del Rey’s song “Cherry” in the movie.
After the others said “they felt like [the song] was too charged and heavy” for the scene, she said she ultimately won the fight and the song was included.
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Did Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Fight on Set of ‘It Ends With Us’?
The feud rumors continued when a video circulated online in which Justin and Blake appeared to be arguing on set. In the clip obtained by TMZ on August 12, 2024, Blake was seen emotionally talking with her hands before she stepped away from him. He then seemingly responded by waving his hands at her. The tense interaction ended with Blake saying “OK” before they walked away.
While many social media users believed the clip looked like an argument, sources told the outlet that they weren’t arguing and were simply having a conversation.
Amid the drama rumors, Justin later hired crisis public relations manager Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group, seemingly to deal with the feud speculation, People reported on August 13, 2024.
The hiring seemingly had perfect timing as one day later, TMZ reported Blake allegedly felt “fat-shamed” by Justin while on set, according to sources close to the situation. Justin and Blake’s onscreen characters share a scene where Justin lifts Blake in the air. According to the publication, Justin — who has a history of back problems — went to his onset trainer and reportedly asked how much Blake weighed in order to protect his body from injury. Blake learned about Justin’s questions and felt he was shaming her body.
A separate incident allegedly occurred after the two engaged in an intimate scene and Blake felt her costar lingered longer than he should have with a kiss.
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Blake Lively Was ‘Really Impatient’ on Set of ‘It Ends With Us’
The actress was antsy to be through with shooting her scenes, an experienced insider told Page Six on August 14 about her behavior on set.
“The tension was so obvious. Once she was done with the scene, she was really impatient, said, ‘Am I done? Can I go?,’ and as soon as they said ‘Yes,’ there was like a Blake-size hole in the wall,” the source told the outlet. They added, “She was so outta there.”
The insider said that Blake was also checked out in between takes, where she would stare at her phone.
Will There Be an ‘It Ends With Us’ Sequel?
CoHo fans know that following the success of IEWU, Colleen wrote a sequel called It Starts With Us. When asked if he would be willing to sign on to direct the second film, the Jane the Virgin star told Entertainment Tonight, “I think there are better people for that one.”
“I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think,” Justin added.
In another interview with E! News published on December 5, 2024, Justin revealed that he wasn’t focused on a sequel just yet.
“I’ve been hearing the sequel conversations,” the Jane the Virgin alum shared. “People ask me all the time about sequels. We are in this place where we are just trying to be in the moment. And I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude for the lives that this has impacted and changed.”
Justin continued, “So we’re not even thinking about a sequel right now. Just enjoying the fact that this movie that’s taken years and years to come to fruition is actually having the true impact and is now going to be able to be seen by so many people on Netflix [starting on December 9, 2024]. And that’s where we are right now.”
