Report: 'It Ends With Us' sequel in trouble due to dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni

The drama surrounding the rift between “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni could also spill over into the film’s sequel.

After the first film grossed over $200 million worldwide, it's no surprise that producers can't wait to start working on the sequel. However, the alleged feud between Justin and Blake, who are not only actors but also co-producers of the film, shows no signs of abating, according to a report from Variety.

The story for the sequel to It Ends With Us already exists in the form of Coolleen Hoover's 2022 bestseller It Starts With Us, the direct sequel to her 2016 book on which Blake and Justin's film is based. It takes place a few months after the end of the first film. While Justin's character Ryle plays a relatively smaller role in the sequel, his production company Wayfarer Studios owns the rights to both books.

Justin, who directed the first film, is also willing to step down from directing the sequel. At the film's premiere, he told Entertainment Tonight, “I think there are better people for this. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct.” Even if Blake directs (she previously directed BFF Taylor Swift's 2022 music video “I Bet You Think About Me”), she will have to negotiate with Justin in his capacity as lead producer, who owns the rights to the book adaptations.

Rumors of their falling out began to swirl when the two didn't promote the film together. They weren't seen together at the premiere either. Blake reportedly commissioned an edit of the film that was different from Justin's, which eventually made it into the final cut. She also reportedly told people that Justin shamed her for her obesity and kissed her for too long in an intimate scene.

The Variety report also states that Blake's husband and actor Ryan Reynolds also wrote a key scene in the film, undermining Justin's credibility. “This is uncharted territory, and no one has any idea what a sequel might look like. There's probably no world in which these two will work together again,” the report quoted a source as saying.