Movies

Justin Baldoni countersues Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds; seeks $400 million-plus in damages

BBG News

Justin Baldoni has responded with a lawsuit against Blake Lively (his co-star in “It Ends With Us”), her representative Leslie Sloane, and her spouse Ryan Reynolds, significantly increasing the legal dispute stemming from their challenging work together on the romantic movie produced last year.

In a recent development that’s stirring up quite a buzz in Hollywood, a 179-page lawsuit, filed in a federal court in New York on Thursday, alleges that Lively, Sloane, and Reynolds have tarnished Baldoni’s reputation and seized control of the movie he directed from him. The lawsuit aims to recover a staggering $400 million in damages.

The conflict between law and public relations originates from Lively’s claims that Baldoni behaved inappropriately by sexually harassing her on set. She alleges that he then organized a malicious smear campaign through his crisis PR team to tarnish her image prior to the film’s premiere. These accusations were first brought to light in an article published by The New York Times on December 21st, and Lively subsequently filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in federal court on December 31st. On the same day, Baldoni, along with nine other defendants such as his crisis PR team and executives at Wayfarer Studios, retaliated by filing a defamation lawsuit worth $250 million against The New York Times over the article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.

In my critique as a movie enthusiast, I’m shedding light on the countersuit jointly filed by Wayfarer Studios, Jamey Heath, and their crisis management team against Brad Lively. This legal action claims that Lively’s accusations are unfounded and have inflicted substantial damage upon Baldoni’s career, public image, and personal life.

Baldoni, renowned for his portrayal of Rafael Solano in “Jane the Virgin,” has consistently built a reputation as a progressive, socially aware storyteller and an advocate for women, grounded by the teachings of his Bahá’í Faith. Over time, he’s evolved from acting to filmmaking and production, establishing Wayfarer Studios in 2019 with the mission to promote content driven by purpose.

In response to Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni’s countersuit paints a significantly different picture, as asserted by his legal team. The suit claims that Lively aimed to portray Baldoni as the antagonist in her personal story. Allegedly, she, along with Sloane and with assistance from The New York Times, falsely accused him of sexual harassment. This was allegedly done to divert attention away from negative reactions to Lively’s insensitive interviews during the film’s promotional tour. The complaint states that the defendants meticulously planned their strategy, spreading a fictitious narrative in the media.

As a passionate cinephile, I must share that the countersuit levies additional claims against Lively, suggesting she made excessive and unreasonable requests during the movie’s creation. The lawsuit alleges that she co-wrote crucial scenes alongside Reynolds, rejected collaboration on intimacy coordination, and then blamed others for any disruptions on set. According to the complaint, Lively aimed to sabotage the Defendants’ careers and businesses if they didn’t cater to her constant demands.

As stated in the counterclaim, Lively asserted creative control over the film, effectively pushing out Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, a move that seemingly exceeded contractual boundaries. The allegation goes on to say that Lively intentionally and strategically took away the movie from the Plaintiffs, while also using intimidating tactics and extortion to keep them from attending the premiere. This is according to the complaint filed.

The fourth lawsuit related to the film “It Ends With Us” has been filed by Baldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, on December 26th. In her complaint, she alleges that Baldoni’s crisis management team deliberately worked to discredit her and shift blame from what she claims was a retaliatory defamation campaign against Lively, which she experienced as a result of the production. Despite the controversy surrounding its promotional tour, the film proved financially successful, earning over $350 million globally.

In response to the litigation hold letter sent by Baldoni’s legal team, which was addressed to Marvel president Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and others last week, a counterclaim has been initiated. The letter requested that Marvel should preserve all pertinent documents regarding Baldoni. Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, suggested that Reynolds might have been making fun of Baldoni in a scene from the summer’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” movie, featuring a particularly sincere version of Deadpool called “Nicepool.

In the movie, I found myself uttering phrases such as, “Where on earth is the intimacy advisor?”, and in response to accusations of my actions being misogynistic, I defended myself saying, “No worries, I consider myself a feminist.

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2025-01-16 21:01

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