Fans Believe Ryan Reynolds Is Involved In Feud Between Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni—"It Ends With Us" Controversy Explained

Colleen Hoover's book-turned-film It Ends with Us is already estimated to make between $25 million and $35 million, with some experts projecting it could reach $40 million to $50 million.

With its massive popularity among the millions of women on BookTok, IEWU is gearing up to be a close second to Deadpool and Wolverine in 2024's lineup of fan-favorite films. An incredibly successful year for Blake Lively, who stars as Lily Bloom in IEWU, and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who's known for playing Deadpool.

But despite the glamorous IEWU press tours, Vogue interviews, and thrilling trailers, whispers are circulating about the alleged tension between the film's crew, more specifically, director and actor Justin Baldoni (Ryle Kincaid) and the rest of the team.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Feud Explained 

No one really knows for sure if the IEWU stars are fighting or not, but the social media audience is convinced that things have gone south for Lively and Baldoni. It all began when the cast and crew frequently appeared at press tours, with Lively donning stunning dresses alongside Reynolds at red-carpet events, even with Hugh Jackman in attendance. Yet, Baldoni seemed to be noticeably absent from photos with Lively.

Baldoni did attend the recent press tour, but he was rarely photographed alongside Lively. Are they avoiding each other?

Jenny Slate (Allysa) only fueled the rumors after an interviewer from Deadline Hollywood asked her what it was like working with Baldoni. She answered by stating that his job or being the director and actor was "intense." Viewers felt she sort of dodged the question.

In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Baldoni was asked if he was excited about directing a sequel to IEWU. His answer suggests that he is done with the adaptation. "I think that there are better people for that one," he said.

What Did Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Do?

The alleged feud made its way over to TikTok, with fans suggesting the real issue isn’t with director Baldoni but Lively and Reynolds. Allegedly, they wanted to use the film to boost Lively’s Oscar chances and invested money in IEWU for creative control and credits. When Sony backed Baldoni, they reportedly threatened to withdraw. Colleen Hoover then helped them get some creative influence, leading to rewrites under their direction, while Baldoni’s name remains on the credits as a fallback if the film fails.

A source also informed The Hollywood Reporter "there was a fracture among the filmmakers in the post-production process, wherein two different cuts of the movie emerged." Again, these rumors have yet to be confirmed, but keep reading to see what viewers have to say.

Meanwhile, insiders tell the DailyMail.com that Lively and Baldoni "clashed over his 'dismissive' attitude to her 'input' while they were filming scenes that involved abuse."

BookTok’s Theories About the Feud

@nadiagreads on TikTok suspects that Reynolds is overly involved in the project and that Lively is using the film to promote her new hair care line, Blake Brown, in a way that feels tone-deaf given the film's focus on domestic violence. "Why are we using a movie about DV to promote your hair brand? Why is the PR packet funny and fluffy instead of raising awareness and talking about the heart of this film? And why is it giving Deadpool X Wolverine X It Ends with Us?" Great question. Why is Hugh Jackman in the press tours and Lively's recent Vogue photoshoots?

"I think that is why Justin Baldoni is in the backseat right now," she added. "He was the director of the film. Blake Lively was a producer. Somehow, Ryan Reynolds got involved for some reason and wrote a couple scenes."

Lively herself has said that Reynolds wrote the rooftop scene in IEWU.

In the TikToker's opinion, Baldoni approached the film respectfully. However, she suggests that the film's PR strategy may be going the route he didn't intend for it to go initially, so Baldoni may be distancing himself to avoid potential issues.

Indeed, when looking at Baldoni's press tours and interviews for IEWU, he's usually talking about domestic violence and trying to raise awareness for women in abusive relationships.

Could it be that Baldoni lost creative control in the movie he's tasked with directing because of Reynolds and Lively?

One fan on TikTok explained the situation, adding that Baldoni has always received praise from other people he's worked with. "Anyone on any other movie he's directed has only said amazing things about him and what it's like to work with him. It's B and R [Blake and Ryan]. Rumor has it they both wanted to use this movie as a vehicle to get B an Oscar nod," the TikTok user wrote.

That same user claimed that their father is a "retired studio exec," and there has been talk about an alleged clash between the married couple and Baldoni since the beginning of production.

"So they invested some capital in the film believing that by doing so they can gain some creative control over the film. So they tried to throw their weight around but Sony had Justin's back," they continued. "That's when they threatened to take their money & B off of the picture. CH [Colleen Hoover], who adores Blake then stepped in and convinced Sony to allow B and R a creative say."

"They basically rewrote/reshot most of the movie under B & R direction. However they didn't take any directing credits & instead kept i under Justin's name so that if it failed, scapegoat. If it did well then they would take credit, as we are already seeing."

To summarize, the theories suggest that Lively and Reynolds might be using the movie for their own gain, potentially sidelining Baldoni and creating a rift among them. But regardless of these rumors, the reality is that women can fall victim to abusive relationships. When asked by ET why he made the film, Baldoni explained, "What comes to mind isn't so much the work that went into it but the why behind it. The why was that if a Lily Bloom in real life can sit in this theater and maybe make a different choice for herself than was made for her, maybe she sees herself on that screen and she leaves the theater and chooses something different for herself. That's why I made the movie."

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