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Blake Lively at the 2024 LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on November 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.© Getty Images

Blake Lively's next career move following It Ends With Us lawsuit's fate revealed

The actress and mom-of-four levied allegations of sexual harassment against co-star and director Justin Baldoni

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
January 12, 2025
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Blake Lively is currently caught in the middle of a media firestorm over her allegations of sexual harassment against her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.

The actress, 37, has officially filed a lawsuit against the filmmaker and actor, 40, claiming not only uncomfortable on-set behavior, but also an attempt to malign her public reputation.

The fallout from the lawsuit has spilled over into their other career moves as well, although a figure close to Blake is shutting that down.

Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: The trailer for "It Ends With Us"

Blake causes delay?

An X user took to the social media platform on Friday, January 10 to claim that Blake's upcoming sequel to the 2018 hit A Simple Favor, co-starring Anna Kendrick, has been "shelved."

They wrote: "BREAKING: Amazon shelves A Simple Favor 2 indefinitely. Despite glowing test screenings, Blake Lively's refusal to promote — amid her messy legal battle with Justin Baldoni — and growing tensions with Anna Kendrick have derailed the sequel."

Paul Feig, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick speak onstage to promote the film "A Simple Favor" during the Lionsgate presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 26, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for CinemaCon)© Getty Images
Blake and Anna will return for the sequel to 2018's "A Simple Favor"

"Anna is furious. Paul Feig is disappointed. Hollywood is in shock. This isn't just a movie — it's an implosion," the tweet read, going on to share sources based on reported insiders.

Her director speaks out

However, amid backlash from fans, A Simple Favor and A Simple Favor 2 director Paul Feig took to X to summarily shut down such claims.

"This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don't believe anything you read on social media these days," he tweeted in response.

View post on X

He further shared some details on the upcoming project, praising Blake for giving a strong performance, writing: "The movie is awesome, and Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances. I can't wait for you all to see it. Stay tuned for more details. Simple Favor 2 is coming soon!"

Filming for the sequel ended in May 2024, and when the original poster questioned why the movie hadn't been promoted yet, Paul added: "My friend, it's called post production, which generally takes over half a year at least when you factor in editing, scoring, special effects, sound mixing, close captioning and all the technical quality control that has to be done." 

MORE: Ryan Reynolds' momentous first with oldest daughter, 10

"Our post schedule always had us finishing everything by mid-January. Movies don't come out the second they're finished because the studio spends the previous year deciding the best date to release it." 

Jean Smart, Paul Feig, Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding attend the New York premier of "A Simple Favor" at Museum of Modern Art on September 10, 2018 in New York City.  (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)© Getty Images
"The movie is awesome, and Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances. I can't wait for you all to see it."

He concluded: "We've always planned on something in the spring/summer of this year. That's how movies work. I hope this helps."

MORE: Ryan Reynolds shares message with his daughter amid Blake Lively lawsuit

Blake's response

While Blake herself hasn't commented on the matter, since the lawsuit was filed, she has maintained a low profile. Her only social media activity since has been to share resources and drive support for those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.

Justin Baldoni at the "It Ends With Us" New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 06, 2024 in New York City.© Getty Images
Justin has remained out of the spotlight since news of the lawsuit

Her husband Ryan Reynolds, meanwhile, made his first public appearance since the lawsuit on January 7 at the National Board of Review Awards in New York City. He did not speak directly of the situation, but delivered a speech introducing the night's Best Picture winner, Wicked.

Blake vs Justin: feud timeline

blake lively justin baldoni lawsuit© Getty Images

2024

9th August – It Ends With Us is released

6th August – Justin walks the red carpet away from the rest of his costars during the movie premiere

 13th August –Justin hires crisis PR Melissa Nathan who represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial

20th December – Blake files a huge lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of "unprofessional'' behaviour on set

21st December – Justin is dropped by his talent agency

22nd December – The New York Times leaks private messages, attesting to a PR smear campaign against Blake

31st December – Justin files a lawsuit against The New York Times

31st December – Blake files a lawsuit against Justin

2025

16th January  – Justin countersues Blake for $400 million

21st January – Justin's team releases footage from the It Ends With Us set, contradicting Blake's argument

27th January – A trial date is set for March 2026

27th January – Audio of Justin is leaked where he allegedly apologises to Blake during filming

1st February –Justin's team launches a website with two legal documents about the dispute

5th February – Blake is sued by crisis PR firm for $7 million

Justin, in turn, has also maintained a low profile, but did sue the New York Times for their story making public the details of the lawsuit and apparent text chains between the Jane the Virgin star and his PR team.

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