Justin Baldoni is claiming Blake Lively leveraged her famous friendship with Taylor Swift to hold It Ends With Us “hostage.”
In an exhibit accompanying Baldoni’s amended complaint filed Friday, Jan. 31, the director-actor, 41, alleges that Lively, 37, through a Sony executive, “made a veiled threat, implying she might ‘change her mind’ about reaching out to Taylor Swift to secure the use of ‘My Tears Ricochet’ for the trailer if her demands are not met.”
According to his version of events, this happened in May 2024 as the actress was allegedly “holding the film hostage in the edit room” and adding “pressure” by “stalling” the marketing plan to get more time to build her version. Baldoni made his latest court filings accessible to the public via a website he launched over the weekend.
Lively’s cut of It Ends With Us is ultimately what was released in theaters. Sony Pictures Entertainment chair-CEO Tony Vinciquerra praised Lively’s “passion and commitment” in August and said, “We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her.”
Swift’s song “My Tears Ricochet” was indeed used in the film’s first trailer as well as in a pivotal scene within the movie. Swift, who has not spoken out about the legal battle, was previously mentioned in Baldoni’s lawsuit, described by his lawyers as Lively’s “megacelebrity friend” who was used to “pressure” Baldoni into accepting Lively’s script rewrites.
In a May 2024 red carpet interview, Baldoni was asked about Lively using her connections to secure the song in the trailer, telling Entertainment Tonight“That’s all Blake. … Blake knows everybody. Her and Taylor are very good friends. I’m so happy that they agreed to have the song in the trailer. It’s so perfect for the movie.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
An alleged text sent from Lively, during an exchange in which she and Baldoni were discussing her proposed rooftop scene dialogue changes, Lively described husband Ryan Reynolds and close pal Swift as her supportive “dragons,” invoking the Game of Thrones character Khaleesi, who stand up for her and her creative vision, per Baldoni’s lawsuit.
In December, Lively sued Baldoni and others, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign, which he has denied. He countersued for $400 million, claiming defamation and extortion. Her lawyers responded, calling his lawsuit “desperate” and “meritless” and said he was “trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in “It Ends With Us”.
Nicole Rivelli/Sony Pictures Entertainment
“The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony’s cut of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success,” her attorneys added.
Additionally, her lawyers said in a Jan. 6 statement that her “serious claims” of sexual harassment and retaliation are “backed by concrete facts.” They said: “This is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences’ or a ‘he said/she said’ situation.”
Lively and Baldoni’s lawyers have their first court appearance on Feb. 3. If the cases progress to a trial, that trial is currently scheduled for March 2026.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings