It Ends With Us is the most talked-about film of the summer. And while the highly-anticipated Colleen Hoover adaptation hit cinemas just last week, it is already tipped to be a box office hit, making over £30 million in its opening weekend.
Talk around the film has grown even louder this week, with the project surrounded by rumours of a cast rift - namely between producer and star Blake Lively, and director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.
And while the narrative started innocently, new details and internet detectives have escalated it to full-on Don't Worry Darling levels of drama.
Rumours of an It Ends With Us rift first began in the film's run-up, when Lively and Baldoni - the two creative leads were not paired up for press interviews. Instead, Lively was accompanied by fellow co-stars Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar, as well as author Colleen Hoover, while Baldoni did his press solo.
This was then intensified at the film's New York premiere, with the pair not seen or photographed together. And in the days since, internet sleuths have determined that none of the main cast follows Baldoni on Instagram.
"I was hoping to see Blake and Justin together. It's strange that they haven't done ANYTHING together," posted one fan to Instagram, while another added: "There is no good vibes in the cast"
It has been reported that the rumoured feud stems from Lively and Baldoni having different creative visions for the project. In fact, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the "fracture" happened in the postproduction process, with two different cuts of the film being made.
Ryan Reynolds also features in the It Ends With Us drama narrative, with Lively crediting her husband for his creative involvement in the film.
“He works on everything I do,” the actress told E! News, explaining how the Deadpool star had written a key scene in It Ends With Us. “I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine, and mine are his. He’s all over this film.”
Lively's comments have led TikTok sleuths to speculate that Lively and Reynolds took over the creative control of the project from the director, with the hashtags, #TeamJustinBaldoni and ReleaseTheBaldoniCut, surfacing online.
While neither Lively nor Baldoni have commented on the rumoured fallout, the director did suggest that he wouldn't return to make the film's sequel, based on Hoover's 2022 novel.
“I think there are better people for that one,” Baldoni explained to Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere. “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.”
We will continue to update this story.
