The long-awaited adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, It Ends With Us, has been mired in controversy since its release.
Stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been at the centre of a publicity storm after rumours of an ongoing “feud” between them emerged when they failed to appear before the press together.
Blake, 36, has also been hit with claims. who promoted the film insensitivelybased on Hoover’s novel about an abusive relationship, as he has often failed to mention the film’s serious themes.
It Ends With Us has already grossed over $180 million worldwide, proving a massive profit for a film that cost just $25 million to make, so would normally be followed by a ready-made sequel.
But amid the whirlwind of controversial publicity, fears are now growing over whether the sequel to the popular novel, It Starts With Us, will go ahead as planned.
Justin’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, is believed to own the rights to the sequel after acquiring the film rights to It Starts With Us in 2019.
It Starts With Us picks up after the end of the first novel and focuses on the relationship between Lily Bloom (Blake) and Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), although Justin’s character, Ryle Kincaid, still appears.
However, sources told the Daily Mail that plans to bring the hit novel’s follow-up to the big screen are in doubt, with the project yet to be officially confirmed.
The long-awaited adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s hit novel It Ends With Us has been mired in controversy since its release (pictured: Blake Lively)
“It’s hard to imagine Justin wanting to work with Blake, or vice versa, after all this bad relationship. Whatever the reason for this dispute, there has been no obvious rapprochement between the two,” said an industry source.
A source also warned The wrapper that “no additional discussions have been had at this time regarding a sequel,” adding to fans’ concerns about the follow-up.
While Blake served as a producer on It Ends With Us, Justin directed and executive produced, but has hinted that he might not return in both roles if there is a sequel amid claims of a “creative struggle” between him and his co-star.
When asked about returning to directing, he recently said: Entertainment Tonight:You’ll have to ask me in a little while. We’ll be taking a vacation after this.
“I think there are better people for that. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think.”
Fears over whether both stars will return for It Starts With Us arise amid claims of an ongoing feud between Justin and Blake and tension behind the scenes.
A source recently told DailyMail.com that Blake and Justin had a falling out over his alleged “dismissive” attitude towards her “input” while filming scenes involving abuse.
The source claimed Justin only focused on “what he believed to be the abusive male point of view” and had a very “chauvinistic” approach to the issue.
Days later, TMZ reported that Blake was “weight-shamed” by Justin on set as they prepared for a scene in which he lifted her off the ground.
Sources close to the scene told the website that Justin suffers from back problems and sought the help of a trainer before the lifting scene.
Stars Blake and Justin Baldoni (pictured) have been at the centre of a publicity storm after rumours of an ongoing ‘feud’ between them surfaced when they were unable to do press together.
He allegedly asked the trainer how much Blake weighed and asked for help in preparing his back to avoid injury.
However, it was later claimed that Justin felt “hurt and marginalized” while starring in and directing It Ends with Us.
“There were two camps on the film: Team Blake and Team Justin. This creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and led to them stopping speaking to each other,” a source told the BBC. We weekly.
The source continued: “[Justin]was made to feel like his vision wasn’t as important as Blake’s, and that stifled creativity on set.”
Justin was also said to have taken it personally that Blake made several decisions about script and costume changes “often without consulting” him or his team.
However, a second source insisted that “any changes or input from Blake were to create the best possible film and honor the book.”
“Blake was a producer and worked closely with Colleen and other female crew members on set. Without (Justin’s) involvement, it doesn’t mean (she) was acting behind his back,” the source explained.
Blake has also been criticised for her light-hearted promotion of the film despite its serious themes, and activists have also questioned the film, claiming it “romanticises and glamorises” domestic violence.
She was recently heavily criticized by fans for the way she answered an interview question about the film’s serious themes.
When a reporter asked the Gossip Girl star how people who identified with what her character was going through could talk to her, her sarcastic response left people outraged.
Instead of encouraging victims of domestic violence to seek help from professionals or sharing the resources available to them, she laughed at the concept of making herself available to them.
Amid the whirlwind of negative publicity, fears are now mounting over whether the sequel to the popular novel, It Starts With Us, will go ahead as planned.
“People who see this film and relate to the themes of this film on a deeply personal level will really want to talk to you,” the interviewer said.
‘This film will touch people and they will want to tell you about their lives.
‘So if someone understands the themes of this film and meets you in public and really wants to talk to you, what’s the best way for them to be able to talk to you about this? How would you recommend they do that?’
Blake didn’t seem amused by the idea of people approaching her and wanting to discuss the heartbreaking themes that unfold in the film.
She sarcastically replied: “Ask me for my address or my phone number.”
“Or I could just share my location with you and then we could…” he trailed off before laughing at comments that were criticised as “inaccurate”.
Blake also came under fire after hosting an interview with her It Ends With Us co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer and author Colleen, but did not discuss the issue.
The four women talked about everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs, but there was no mention of domestic violence during their chat.
Several hours later, Blake took to Instagram to share information about domestic violence, as well as some resources for her followers.
She shared a series of links, including a hotline for victims of domestic violence, as well as statistics and other information.
“Everyone deserves relationships free of domestic violence,” she wrote.
While Blake served as a producer, Justin directed and executive produced, but hinted he might not take on as many roles if there is a sequel amid claims of a “creative struggle” on set.
Following the backlash, Justin was praised online after directly addressing the film’s serious themes with fans during a screening at a Los Angeles cinema.
The actor poignantly reminded viewers to be aware of how the It Ends With Us storyline may affect others.
“This film is about love, about hope, about romance. But it also talks about something very serious: domestic violence,” she told the crowd.
“I just want to say that it’s something that’s very widespread, it’s everywhere. There’s a good chance that some people in this room have been affected by it.
‘If at the end of this film you see someone sitting alone, shaking or emotional, maybe you should approach them and ask if you can support them in some way.’
Justin added that even those who didn’t relate to what the characters experienced should take time to “reflect” on their themes.
“I ask anyone who watches this film to maybe reflect at the end and ask themselves, ‘What is the cycle you can break in your life?'” he concluded.
A clip of his speech was uploaded to TikTok and quickly went viral, garnering over 961,000 views in just hours, with many taking to the comments to praise Justin for his words.