Ryan Reynolds ready to ‘offer millions’ to secure Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us future without Justin Baldoni in it

Now that the media’s obsession with the alleged contentious beef between Blake Lively and her director/costar Justin Baldoni was gradually subsiding more than a month after the It Ends With Us theatrical release, a bombshell report has reignited the flames of drama all over again. (Also read: Blake Lively ‘vulnerable and upset’ over It Ends With Us controversy: ‘Just not used to this kind of drama’)

Like Blake Lively said, the couple works in tandem, no matter whose project it is

“Ryan is willing to offer millions to Blake’s director and costar, Justin Baldoni, in an attempt to buy out his stake in the franchise so Blake can continue her role without having to work with Baldoni, with whom she clashed,” a source told Life & Style. The director-actor’s production house, Wayfarer Studios, owns the rights to the books. 

“This is the biggest film Blake has ever made. Ryan wants to make sure she isn’t replaced in the sequel!”

If these claims are actualised in the future, it wouldn’t be Reynolds’ first contribution to his wife’s 2024 movie that even wrestled with his own R-rated MCU premiere, Deadpool & Wolverine. In an interview with E! News on August 6, Lively proudly proclaimed: “The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you now.”

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Lively returned the favour by lending her voice to Lady Deadpool in her husband’s film. “We help each other,” she added. “He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine, and mine are his.”

According to PEOPLE, these “improvisations” surprised screenwriter Christy Hall, who had no idea of Reynolds’ involvement in the background.

It Ends With Us fever commands the box office

The cinematic adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s controversial novel has consequently emerged as Lively’s most commercially successful movie. Although the film tried its all to redirect the thematic focus towards a woman reclaiming her life after parting ways with an abusive marriage, its promotions completely lost the plot and garnered massive attention for all the wrong reasons.

Be it the plot, the cast, or the speculative narrative spun around the film’s promotions and the alleged inflammable tug-of-war between Lively and Baldoni, It Ends With Us has indubitably made history at the global box office. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s latest box office recordings, Lively’s movie has raked in over $309 million in global ticket sales. To get an idea of how profitable these numbers are, it’s worth noting that the staggering Sony success was produced on a reported budget of $25 million.

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Sony Pictures on Blake Lively’s side

Numerous positive and negative reports have backed or targetted Blake and Justin, respectively. However, Sony ultimately jumped into rarefied action by officially coming to the lead actress’ rescue after fans accused her of leading “tone-deaf” promotions for a film about such heavy and triggering themes.

“Blake, Colleen and so many women put so much effort into this remarkable movie, working selflessly from the start to ensure that such an important subject matter was handled with care. Audiences love the movie. Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence is commendable,” Sony Pictures Entertainment Chair-CEO Tony Vinciquerra told THR in August. “We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her.”

While these conspicuously Blake-leaning remarks have presumably sealed a gratifying deal for her future with Sony Pictures, her husband is reportedly willing to go the extra mile to buy out Baldoni from the potential sequel.

Any talks of the It Ends With Us sequel yet?

The source material for the It Ends With Us sequel already exists in the form of the follow-up novel “It Starts With Us.” Nevertheless, the franchise’s future seems muddy at the moment. Amid the rumoured feud between Lively and Baldoni, Baldoni put his foot down when asked about the potential adaptation of Hoover’s 2022 sequel novel.

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“I think that there are better people for that one,” he submitted at the New York City premiere of the movie on August 6. Instead of confirming his status vis-a-vis the franchise, Baldoni repositioned the spotlight on Lively. “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct, that’s what I think,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

At this very event, Lively, Hoover, and other cast members visibly distanced themselves from Baldoni. The film’s leading actors weren’t even pictured together for the subsequent press tour.