Justin Baldoni, the co-star and director of It Ends with Us, is suing Blake Lively, her publicist, and her husband Ryan Reynolds for a combined $320 million.
This comes after Lively initiated a suit against Baldoni, claiming sexual harassment and that he carried out a ‘smear campaign’ against her.
Baldoni countered with a suit claiming various things against the couple and Lively’s publicist, ranging from extortion to defamation to professional and personal damages.
Leaked Footage
In the newest update to the twisting case, Baldoni has released raw footage of a slow motion dance scene for a montage involving himself and Lively which he claims refutes allegations from her lawsuit that he was inappropriate during filming.
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Lively has hit back, claiming in actual fact the footage vindicates her claims.
Ryan Reynolds is even mentioned in the filming of the intimate scene as both discuss their spouses.
Baldoni in the scene mentions Lively’s husband Reynolds: "I know you and Ryan talk all the time."
She responded: "Oh my gosh, we don't shut up."
After he brings up his wife Emily, she says: “No, we're like, 'Oh my God, there's not enough time in the day to talk.'
"It's like, 'Oh my God, and I forgot to tell you something else.'"
When Baldoni calls the pair ‘cute’, she says: “I think it's more than cute.”
While it is obvious as to why Baldoni would hit back with a lawsuit against Lively, many have wondered why Reynolds has been dragged in to the situation.
‘Nicepool’
One allegation in Baldoni’s lawsuit relates to Reynolds’ latest film Deadpool & Wolverine, in which an alternate version of Deadpool is referred to as ‘Nicepool’.
Also played by Reynolds, he is aggressively ‘nice’ to the point of annoyance.
One scene, involving Nicepool and Deadpool, sees him comment on the body of a female variation on the character voiced by Blake Lively, in which Nicepool says that despite having recently had a baby she’s so gorgeous ‘you can’t even tell’.
In a deleted scene, the character also says his ‘calling is to one day start a podcast that monetizes the women’s movement’.
Lively’s lawsuit alleges that Baldoni would make unwanted comments about her body, and he also started a podcast called ‘The Man Enough Podcast’ which explored men’s role in society.
Baldoni’s lawyer sent a letter to Marvel asking for all material in the creation of this character to be preserved, alleging that it was intended as a joke at the It Ends with Us director's expense.
Reynolds and Lively
The lawsuit by Baldoni claims that Lively and Reynolds worked together to strong arm WME into dropping him as a client.
This is a claim that has been refuted by the talent agency.
The lawsuit reads: "Reynolds approached Baldoni’s agency, namely, an executive at WME, and expressed his deep disdain for Baldoni, suggesting the agency was working with a “sexual predator” (a phrase that uncoincidentally later appeared in the press) and, at a later date, demanded that the agent “drop” Baldoni. His wielding of power and influence became undeniable."
In addition to this, the lawsuit also references claims around a core issue raised in Lively’s lawsuit, a meeting that took place in which she made various claims and requests of Justin Baldoni in order for filming to continue.
Within this meeting, Reynolds was present as a representative for Lively.
Baldoni’s lawsuit claims this meeting was in actual fact an attempt by Lively and Reynolds to ‘force’ the actor and director to apologised for misconduct that he says did not occur, and take creative control of the film.
What do the experts say?
A defamation lawyer spoke to Yahoo Entertainment, in which they said that ‘it is not strange that Ryan Reynolds was named in light of Baldoni's theories in the complaint'.
The lawyer, called Jeff Lewis, went on to say: “Baldoni argues that Reynolds participated in a meeting to force Baldoni to apologize for misconduct that did not occur and pressured Baldoni to surrender creative control over the film.
“This meeting is a key part of Baldoni's civil extortion theory.
“Baldoni claims that both Lively and Reynolds took actions to force [talent agency] William Morris Endeavor to drop Baldoni as a client.
“Under the facts of this case, Reynolds is not just the husband of Lively.
“He is alleged to be individually responsible for Baldoni's claims.”
LADbible group has previously reached out to representatives for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni for further comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Film, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, TV and Film
Michael Slavin