Director Paul Feig said Blake Lively did not exercise any editorial control of their upcoming film Another Simple Favor, as fans peppered him with references to the allegations Justin Baldoni made about her involvement on their film It Ends with Us.
Lively, 37, has accused Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment in a lawsuit; while Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit.
Baldoni has denied the allegations brought about by Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made in litigation by Baldoni.
Baldoni’s team has released a website which includes private communications such as text messages that were included in court filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood power couple over the making of romantic drama, and efforts he says they made to usurp and undermine his input as the film’s director.
After Prime Video released a promotional post for Another Simple Favor Tuesday, a number of commenters implicated that Lively might have tried to assert her influence over Feig, 62, over that movie, leading the filmmaker responded to the speculation.
Dailymail.com has reached out to Feig and his rep for further comment on this story.
Director Paul Feig, 62, said Blake Lively, 37, did not exercise any editorial control of their upcoming film Another Simple Favor. Lively pictured in October 2024 in NYC
Feig did make a supportive statement of Lively in the comment thread of the Prime Video post
Amid Baldoni’s claims that Lively and her inner circle used their considerable clout to commandeer changes to the script – even enlisting Taylor Swift to lean on him at one point – and re-cut the motion picture, a user asked in the comment section, ‘Is it Paul Feig’s cut or Blake’s cut?’
Feig – whose other cinematic credits include 2011’s Bridesmaids, 2016’s Ghostbusters and 2024’s Jackpot! – made clear he had full creative control over the film, replying, ‘It’s my cut. There is no other cut … just wanted to clear that up.’
Feig in his reply heaped massive praise on Lively, who he previously worked with on 2018’s A Simple Favor.
‘Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with,’ said the Emmy-nominated director, who has directed shows such as Arrested Development, The Office and Nurse Jackie. ‘She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan.’
A number of the director’s fans criticized his defense of Lively, amid the allegations Baldoni made in court filings and on the website.
‘Paul, I know you’re gonna wanna shake off these comments as coming from a bunch of loons, but Blake and Ryan really did use their star power to bulldoze Justin,’ said one user. ‘It makes me really sad, and I hope you remember when you were starting off in this business.’
Others told Feig that his stellar reputation as a feted industry veteran insulated him from the strong-armed and meddling Lively allegedly subjected Baldoni to in regard to It Ends with Us’s screenplay, wardrobe and editing.
‘You’ve been in the directing game for so long, so of course Blake isn’t going to attempt to step on your toes,’ said one user. ‘She just goes for the directors that are starting off and tries to use her husband to bully them and take over.
Feig said of LIvely, ‘Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with. She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan. Just wanted to clear that up.’ Pictured in 2018 in NYC
A number of the director’s fans criticized his defense of Lively, amid the allegations Baldoni made in court filings and on the website. Pictured in 2018 in NYC
Feig (R) pictured with Andrew Rannells and Anna Kendrick on the set of Another Simple Favor
‘She’d never have the balls to do that to someone like you so of course she’s “amazing, great, kind, etc.”‘
Said another user: ‘You’re making things worse by defending Blake, you know. This just reaffirms that Blake treats powerful directors like you nicely and targets those she considers less than.’
Another echoed, ‘You’re probably a good guy but you’re extremely lucky that you got your cut [because] Blake knew not to bully you and put you in the basement. She thought highly of you [because] you’re not a nobody. But good luck with this show. It’s dead in the water.’
Multiple commenters referenced on Feig’s post Baldoni’s claim made in court filings that Lively arranged for his presence to be minimized at the It Ends with Us premiere.
‘Be careful you might end up in the basement in the premiere,’ one user said, while another responded, ‘Be careful Paul she may put you in the basement come premiere day.’
Feig put up his own separate post Tuesday amid news the motion picture, which was written by Jessica Sharzer, will be kicking off next month’s SXSW Film and TV Festival in Austin, Texas.
‘I have a simple favor to ask you… can you save the date?’ Feig said in the post. ‘#AnotherSimpleFavor from @AmazonMGMStudios is premiering as the opening night film at @SXSW in Austin on March 7th. And then we hit @PrimeVideo on May 1st. Stay tuned for more details and much more fun!’
Prime Video’s post read, ‘We have Another Simple Favor to ask you… can you save the date? Opening Night at SXSW. May 1 on Prime Video.’
Instagram commenters told Feig that his stellar reputation as a feted industry veteran insulated him from the strong-armed and meddling Lively allegedly subjected Baldoni to
Lively stars in alongside Anna Kendrick in the sequel to their 2018 film A Simple Flavor, as they reprise their respective roles of Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers
Feig put up his own separate post promoting the motion picture Tuesday, amid news the motion picture, which was written by Jessica Sharzer, will be kicking off next month’s SXSW Film and TV Festival in Austin, Texas
Lively stars in alongside Kendrick in the sequel to their 2018 film A Simple Flavor, as they reprise their respective roles of Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers.
A logline from producers said that the sequel ‘follows Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy , for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman.’
The film’s cast is rounded out Allison Janney, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins, Henry Golding and Andrew Rannells.
People flooded both the Prime Video post and Feig’s with comments referring to allegations made by Baldoni in court filings and an adjacent website.
‘Did Ryan rewrite a scene?’ one user asked, another wisecracked, ‘Is the poster promoting Ryan’s gin as well?’ while another person asked, ‘Is this the real version or did Blake edit it?’
Others referenced a text exchange in Baldoni’s court filing in which Lively likened Reynolds and Swift to Game of Thrones dragons, with one person writing, ‘How involved are Blake’s dragons on this one?’ while another said, ‘Will there be dragons?’
Some acknowledged they were just commenting amid the spectacle of the situation, as one user said they ‘came straight to the comments’ amid the controversies, while another asked, ‘Who came for just the comments?’
Another person remarked, ‘This is the worst timing for this promotion lmfao,’ while one predicted, ‘They will be turning off the comments soon.’
Baldoni’s team previously said that the communications shared in court filings on the website – which already has fans talking – makes things clear about the motives of both parties, marking the latest chapter in the feud between the lead stars of romantic drama.
A number of comments made on the promotional post questioned if Lively or Reynolds sought to undermine Feig during the making of Another Simple Favor
Some commenters made reference to allegations Baldoni made in court filings that Lively and Reynolds strong-armed him into letting her drastically change It Ends with Us’s screenplay and editing. The Hollywood power couple pictured at the NYC premiere of It Ends With Us in August
The website, which is live online at thelawsuitinfo.com, comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation between the collaborators on the film, which was a hit at the box office last August.
The site went live days prior to the first hearing Monday, which was previously pushed up from an initial date of February 12, ahead of a trial with a starting date of March 9, 2026 in the case.
Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni December 20, before officially filing a federal lawsuit on December 31.
Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture.
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
‘I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,’ Lively told The New York Times the day after she filed the complaint.
Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled ‘”We Can Bury Anyone”: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine;’ the newspaper has denied the allegations.
Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture, which was a hit when it arrived in theaters in August
Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ against him.
Since Lively’s complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist; and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and Reynolds.
WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to release Baldoni from their client roster, according to Variety.
Lawyers for both parties were in accordance with a plan to compound both federal cases filed into one moving forward.
It Ends with Us, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, arrived in theaters August 9 and was a hit with audiences. The film, adapted from the 2016 Colleen Hoover novel, earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
Lively broke out with the 2005 movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants opposite Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and America Ferrera. That led to her high-profile role on the TV show Gossip Girl, which she starred on from 2007-2012, playing lead character Serena van der Woodsen.
She has also appeared in movies such as 2010’s The Town, 2016’s The Shallows, 2018’s A Simple Favor and 2020’s The Rhythm Section.
Prior to It Ends with Us, Baldoni was best known for playing the role of Rafael Solano on the TV show Jane the Virgin from 2014–2019. He also has directed films including 2019’s Five Feet Apart and 2020’s Clouds, and penned the 2021 book Man Enough, which tackled misconceptions of contemporary masculinity.
