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More drama unfolds between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively

Los Angeles, (Thestates.news)| The conflict between actor-director Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively has reached a critical juncture as Baldoni has filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist of defamation, extortion and reputation sabotage.
The latest development follows Lively’s December filing, in which she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and an orchestrated smear campaign, which sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
In his filing, Baldoni contends that Lively and Reynolds conspired to undermine his career and the production of “It Ends With Us”, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestselling novel, which Baldoni optioned in 2019,as reported by PEOPLE.
He alleges that Lively began “asserting” control over the film, “inserting herself into the production process in intrusive ways.” His complaint describes Lively as “difficult” and claims her “interference would persist ‘every day of the shoot’ and disrupt” the schedule.

Baldoni’s team alleges that Lively’s interference extended beyond the set, with her enlisting Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift to bolster their influence. In alleged text messages included in the lawsuit, Lively likened herself to “Game of Thrones” character Daenerys Targaryen (Khaleesi) and said Reynolds and Swift are her “dragons” who support her. They are “embarrassingly effusive,” she allegedly wrote of the two, also calling them her “stage moms.”

According to Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, the lawsuit is backed by an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence” and suggested “this is a battle [Lively] will not win and will certainly regret.” They allege in Baldoni’s complaint that Lively and Reynolds went on a mission to “destroy” Baldoni’s reputation and career after “hijacking” the film.

The lawsuit sheds light on the contentious dynamics behind the scenes of “It Ends With Us”. Baldoni’s lawsuit alleges that Lively’s refusal to read the novel during production caused tension, with colleagues reportedly concerned about her lack of understanding of the story.
The 37-year-old actress’ lawyers responded with a statement of their own, calling the “meritless” lawsuit “another chapter in the abuser playbook.” They added, in part, “The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”
Apart from all these allegations and counter-allegations, a new revelation was made by the 40-year-old actor about him being shamed by Blake and who asked him to get a nose job.
Previously, Lively was termed as ‘tone-deaf’ by fans for her marketing approach as the film’s theme dealt with domestic abuse. (UNI)