The set of It Ends With Us has turned into a scene straight out of Mean Girls, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in the roles of Regina George and the artsy kid who just wanted to make a decent movie.
Rumor has it that the 36-year-old actress has been playing a little game called “I’m the Boss Now” on the 40-year-old actor-director, who probably just wanted to make it through the shoot without losing his marbles. Instead of co-directing, Blake seems to have done a hostile takeover of the film’s creative control, leaving Justin with nothing but his title and a whole lot of “Why did I sign up for this?” vibes.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a dull butter knife. Blake and Justin avoided each other like teenagers at a high school dance, never posing together for photos and Justin pulling a Houdini on some press events. A source told Us Weekly, “There were two camps on the film — Team Blake and Team Justin.” It’s like Twilight all over again, but instead of vampires and werewolves, it’s Hollywood egos battling for creative supremacy.
Justin, whose dreams of being the next Spielberg were apparently stomped on like a bug at a picnic, felt like his creative genius wasn’t being appreciated—probably because Blake was too busy running the show with the intensity of a PTA president on a mission.
And just to add a little more salt to the wound, Blake casually dropped in an interview that her husband, Ryan Reynolds, lent a hand in writing a scene. “We help each other,” she said with the kind of nonchalance that makes you wonder if Justin was quietly screaming into a pillow somewhere. “His wins are mine, and mine are his,” she gushed. Meanwhile, Justin was probably wondering if any of his wins were still his or if they’d been permanently borrowed by Team Lively.
Though Blake was technically a producer (which usually means less creative meddling and more worrying about budgets), she reportedly cozied up with the book’s author and some other female powerhouses on set. Because if you’re going to overthrow the director, you might as well do it with style and support from your girl squad.
Adding insult to injury, fans noticed that the cast members had ghosted Justin on social media. Yep, the classic “We don’t follow you anymore” maneuver. Sources spilled to Page Six that “None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin… they certainly didn’t speak to him at the premiere.” Ouch. TMZ then jumped into the fray with claims that Blake thought Justin body-shamed her, which is, of course, the Hollywood equivalent of declaring war.
Finally, Justin, ever the gentleman (or maybe just a little petty), took a shot of his own during an interview, saying, “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct [the sequel].” Translation: “Good luck, Blake. You’re going to need it.”
And so, the saga continues. Whether It Ends With Us will end up being a blockbuster or just another Hollywood cautionary tale is still up in the air. But one thing’s for sure: the drama behind the scenes is already more entertaining than anything they could have put on screen.
