A possible sequel to the smash hit It Ends With Us hangs in the balance as rumors around Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s on-set feud continue to rage.
In an article published by Variety Tuesday, the magazine lays out all the potential complications that could arise if a sequel is made.
“This is uncharted territory, and nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like,” an unnamed inside source told Variety about the co-stars’ dispute. “There’s probably no world where these two will work together again.”
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Speculation that the two had some sort of falling out began when Baldoni and Lively avoided each other at the red carpet premiere of the Colleen Hoover book-turned-movie earlier this month. They continued to keep their distance by not promoting the film together either.
According to the rumor mill, the two actors disagreed on the film’s ending. There were also rumors of a possible fat-shaming incident and lingering lip-lock.
Whatever it was that put the two at odds, neither party has come forward to confirm or deny the discord.
Baldoni, who also directed the film, has already put it into the ether that he has no intentions of directing the sequel. “I think there are better people for that. I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct,” Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight.
As Variety points out, Baldoni backing out might not be so simple as his production company, Wayfarer Studios, owns the rights to the second novel the sequel would be based on called It Starts With Us.
Feud aside, the film has been extremely successful so far—raking in $242 million worldwide compared to its modest $25 million budget, making it the most successful romantic drama since 2018’s A Star Is Born.
Apart from her spat with Baldoni, Lively has been receiving criticism in recent weeks for not taking the film’s domestic abuse storyline seriously enough, as well as her less-than-stellar treatment of reporters.
