As It Ends With Us makes its way to a promising opening weekend, the film is experiencing a wave of social media scrutiny that seems to be overshadowing its early success. Much like past films such as Don’t Worry Darling and Madame Web, this adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s popular novel has become the subject of intense online speculation, particularly on TikTok. The focus of these discussions revolves around a rumored tension between the movie’s star-producer Blake Lively and her co-star Justin Baldoni, who also served as the film’s director.
Was There A Rift Between Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni During It Ends With Us Post Production?
Blake Lively in It Ends with Us. Image Credit: SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC.
The roots of this speculation can be traced to Justin Baldoni’s noticeable absence from joint promotional events and the conspicuous lack of group photos featuring Lively and Baldoni at the New York premiere. Adding to the intrigue, fans noted that Lively, Hoover, and other cast members do not follow Baldoni on Instagram, despite his continued following of them. This raised questions, especially since during the movie’s development, Baldoni and Hoover had often appeared together on social media.
Rumors have also swirled around the idea that Lively may have brought in her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to exert creative influence over the film. This theory gained traction when Lively shared at the film’s world premiere that Reynolds contributed to a pivotal rooftop scene early in the movie. According to Lively, “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.” (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
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However, while Reynolds did contribute significant dialogue to the scene, multiple insiders have clarified that he did not write the entire scene and had limited involvement due to his commitments on Deadpool & Wolverine.
Justin Baldoni Praised Blake Lively’s Creative Input
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in It Ends with Us. Image Credit: SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC.
Blake Lively, who played a significant role in the film’s creative direction as both star and producer, reportedly commissioned an alternate cut of the movie from editor Shane Reid, known for his work on Deadpool & Wolverine and Lively’s directed music video for Taylor Swift’s I Bet You Think About Me. It remains uncertain if any part of this version was incorporated into the final edit, which was ultimately credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan.
An insider has downplayed the idea of friction, mentioning that it is common for multiple cuts of a film to emerge during post-production, and the team ultimately reached a consensus on the final version.
The director, acknowledging Lively’s creative input, mentioned in interviews that he sometimes stepped back to let the women on set take charge, as the story is told from a female perspective and deals with sensitive themes like domestic violence.
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Unfortunately, this feud has led to backlash against some of the biggest names involved. This is especially the case for Lively and her co-star, Jenny Slate, whose Instagram comments on recent posts are replete with defenses of Baldoni. It Ends With Us may benefit from the feud in the end because it has likely raised greater publicity of the movie than the marketing has. Even though neither Lively nor Baldoni have addressed the feud in public yet, it’s possible that after everything settles, they will comment on the rumors.
It Ends With Us is currently in theaters.
