Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively has taken over It ends with us editing

Justin Baldoni‘ lawsuit against The New York Times has shed even more light on the apparent creative differences between him and It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively.

Baldoni, 40, is suing The Times for $250 million, claiming libel and false light invasion of privacy over the newspaper’s report on Lively suing him for sexual harassment.

“The Times story relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, quoting it almost verbatim while dismissing a wealth of evidence that contradicted her claims and revealed her true motives,” the legal case reads.

The suit alleges that the dispute between Baldoni and Lively37, comes from “the actress’s shrewd and shrewd attempt to seize control of the Film.” He also provided text messages from Baldoni, who directed the film, to the film’s editors showing his frustrations with Lively claiming he was shutting him out of the editing process.

“She has officially kicked me out of the movie now,” Baldoni wrote. “She finishes it all. I can’t participate. Sound music VFX everything. I’ll make it through somehow. Just need to feel it all.”

The lawsuit states that Baldoni felt uneasy after Lively’s allegations against him, which were initially brought up in a meeting held during production. Lively allegedly insisted on joining Baldoni in the editing bay during the film’s 10-week “protected” period. During that time, the director traditionally has private access to the film, editing it for his director’s cut.

“As a seasoned professional with over twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry – and having grown up in a family deeply involved in the field – Lively was fully aware of the implications of her request,” the suit says. “In fact, her application specifically acknowledged that it violated Baldoni’s ‘protected period’. However, following the serious false allegations she had leveled against the production, Baldoni, (Wayfarer Studios), Sony reluctantly agreed to allow her access to the editing bay for two days.”

The lawsuit alleges that The Times‘ “The deliberate omission of these crucial details not only distorts the truth but also perpetuates a false narrative that conveniently absolves Live of its own culpability in resolving professional relationships and the turmoil surrounding the A movie.”

Baldoni claims that the two-day period turned into 10 days and included a time when Lively tried to work alone in the editing bay. She further claims that she fired the film’s editors and replaced them with her own choices, including one that she had husband, Ryan Reynoldsfrequent use.

Speculation arose in August that there was tension between Baldoni and Lively, who plays love interests in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘ a book. That tension allegedly led to a rift between the film’s crew, a source said Us Weekly at the time.

“There were two camps on the film – Blake’s team and Justin’s team,” the source said, adding that tensions began to build on the first day of production. “It was this creative struggle that set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and it grew into the fact that they were no longer talking.”

Lively continued to demand creative control over the film, according to the source, leaving Baldoni “hurt.”

“(Justin) was made to feel like his vision wasn’t as important as Blake’s, and it stifled the creativity on set,” the source continued.

A second source pushed back, saying that “any changes or input from Blake was to create the best possible film and honor the book.”

Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a complaint filed before the new year, claiming he created a “hostile work environment” on set. Baldoni’s lawyer denied the “outrageous” accusations, claiming that Lively was trying to “fix her negative name.” Baldoni officially sued lively on Tuesday, December 31.

Following news of Baldoni’s own lawsuit, Lively’s attorney addressed the allegations in a statement provided to him Us.

“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the allegations presented in Ms. Lively in California, or her federal complaint, which was filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the patently false premise that Ms. Lively v. Wayfarer and others shamed based on the choice “not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,” and that “litigation was never the ultimate goal.” As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. Although we will not litigate this issue in the press, we encourage people to read Ms complaint. Lively as a whole. We look forward to addressing each of Wayfarer’s claims in court.”