Does it end with them? Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s highly publicized feud may kill any plans for “It Starts With Us,” the much-anticipated sequel for “It Ends With Us,” according to a Hollywood insider. “This is uncharted territory, and nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like,” a source familiar with the situation told Variety Tuesday.
“There’s probably no world where these two will work together again.” However, a source exclusively tells Page Six Tuesday, “No definitive decisions have been made about the sequel.” For weeks, rumblings that the co-stars – who played leads Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid, respectively – have tension on and off set of the movie leaked online.
Earlier this month, multiple sources told Page Six that Baldoni – who owns the cinematic rights to “It Ends With Us” and directed the film – allegedly made Lively feel “uncomfortable” on several occasions. For instance, he was accused of making the “Gossip Girl” alum feel insecure about her postpartum body.
However, a source previously explained to TMZ that Lively, 37, felt “fat-shamed” because Baldoni, 40, once asked the on-set trainer how much the actress weighed since he had a history of back issues and wanted to avoid injuring himself in a scene in which he had to lift her. The “Jane the Virgin” alum, for his part, was also said to have felt side-lined by Lively – who was a producer for the movie – and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as they seemingly battled for creative control.
Lively allegedly made significant changes in the script and wardrobe “often without consulting Justin or his team,” per a source. An insider appeared to corroborate that claim to Variety Tuesday, telling the outlet that Baldoni was not aware that Reynolds, 47, “wrote” the movie’s rooftop scene – as Lively told E! News during the premiere – but instead thought his co-star had just ad-libbed it.
However, Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, also own the cinematic rights to “It Starts With Us” – having bought them before Colleen Hoover’s novels, from which the films are adapted, became a massive success – so it’s possible he may be involved in the sequel in some capacity. Reps for Baldoni did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
Sources previously told us, though, that since tensions have been running so high – evidenced by the fact the two leads didn’t even pose together at the premiere – Baldoni may not be back for the second movie.
