Blake Lively's Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig addresses fan theory she took control of film

Director Paul Feig said Blake Lively did not workout immoderate editorial power of their upcoming movie Another Simple Favor, arsenic fans peppered him with references to the allegations Justin Baldoni made astir her engagement connected their movie It Ends with Us.

Lively, 37, has accused Baldoni, 41, of intersexual harassment successful a lawsuit; portion Baldoni accused Lively, her hubby Ryan Reynolds, 48, and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion successful a $400 cardinal suit. 

Baldoni has denied the allegations brought astir by Lively, portion Lively, Reynolds and Sloane person denied the accusations made successful litigation by Baldoni.

Baldoni's squad has released a website which includes backstage communications specified arsenic substance messages that were included successful tribunal filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood powerfulness mates implicit the making of romanticist drama, and efforts helium says they made to usurp and undermine his input arsenic the film's director.

After Prime Video released a promotional station for Another Simple Favor Tuesday, a fig of commenters implicated that Lively mightiness person tried to asseverate her power implicit Feig, 62, implicit that movie, starring the filmmaker responded to the speculation.

Dailymail.com has reached retired to Feig and his rep for further remark connected this story.

Amid Baldoni's claims that Lively and her interior ellipse utilized their sizeable clout to commandeer changes to the publication - even enlisting Taylor Swift to thin connected him astatine 1 point - and re-cut the question picture, a idiosyncratic asked successful the remark section, 'Is it Paul Feig's chopped oregon Blake's cut?'

Feig - whose different cinematic credits see 2011's Bridesmaids, 2016's Ghostbusters and 2024's Jackpot! - made wide helium had afloat originative power implicit the film, replying, 'It’s my cut. There is nary different chopped ... conscionable wanted to wide that up.'

Feig successful his reply heaped monolithic praise connected Lively, who helium antecedently worked with connected 2018's A Simple Favor.

'Blake has been thing but supportive and a imagination to enactment with,' said the Emmy-nominated director, who has directed shows specified arsenic Arrested Development, The Office and Nurse Jackie. 'She is the champion and an astonishing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan.'

A fig of the director's fans criticized his defence of Lively, amid the allegations Baldoni made successful tribunal filings and connected the website.

'Paul, I cognize you’re gonna wanna shingle disconnected these comments arsenic coming from a clump of loons, but Blake and Ryan truly did usage their prima powerfulness to bulldoze Justin,' said 1 user. 'It makes maine truly sad, and I anticipation you retrieve erstwhile you were starting disconnected successful this business.'

Others told Feig that his stellar estimation arsenic a feted manufacture seasoned insulated him from the strong-armed and meddling Lively allegedly subjected Baldoni to successful respect to It Ends with Us's screenplay, wardrobe and editing.

'You’ve been successful the directing crippled for truthful long, truthful of people Blake isn’t going to effort to measurement connected your toes,' said 1 user. 'She conscionable goes for the directors that are starting disconnected and tries to usage her hubby to bully them and instrumentality over.

'She’d ne'er person the balls to bash that to idiosyncratic similar you truthful of people she’s "amazing, great, kind, etc."'

Said different user: 'You’re making things worse by defending Blake, you know. This conscionable reaffirms that Blake treats almighty directors similar you nicely and targets those she considers little than.'

Another echoed, 'You're astir apt a bully feline but you're highly fortunate that you got your chopped [because] Blake knew not to bully you and enactment you successful the basement. She thought highly of you [because] you're not a nobody. But bully luck with this show. It's dormant successful the water.'

Multiple commenters referenced connected Feig's station Baldoni's assertion made successful tribunal filings that Lively arranged for his beingness to beryllium minimized astatine the It Ends with Us premiere.

'Be cautious you mightiness extremity up successful the basement successful the premiere,' 1 idiosyncratic said, portion different responded, 'Be cautious Paul she whitethorn enactment you successful the basement travel premiere day.'

Feig enactment up his ain abstracted station Tuesday amid quality the question picture, which was written by Jessica Sharzer, volition beryllium kicking disconnected adjacent month's SXSW Film and TV Festival successful Austin, Texas.

'I person a elemental favour to inquire you… tin you prevention the date?' Feig said successful the post. '#AnotherSimpleFavor from @AmazonMGMStudios is premiering arsenic the opening nighttime movie astatine @SXSW successful Austin connected March 7th. And past we deed @PrimeVideo connected May 1st. Stay tuned for much details and overmuch much fun!'

Prime Video's station read, 'We person Another Simple Favor to inquire you… tin you prevention the date? Opening Night astatine SXSW. May 1 connected Prime Video.'

Lively stars successful alongside Kendrick successful the sequel to their 2018 movie A Simple Flavor, arsenic 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 arsenic they caput to the beauteous land of Capri, Italy , for Emily's extravagant wedding to a affluent Italian businessman.'

The film's formed is rounded retired Allison Janney, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins, Henry Golding and Andrew Rannells.

People flooded some the Prime Video station and Feig's with comments referring to allegations made by Baldoni successful tribunal filings and an adjacent website.

'Did Ryan rewrite a scene?' 1 idiosyncratic asked, different wisecracked, 'Is the poster promoting Ryan's gin arsenic well?' portion different idiosyncratic asked, 'Is this the existent mentation oregon did Blake edit it?'

Others referenced a substance Lively sent likening Reynolds and Swift to Game of Thrones dragons, with 1 idiosyncratic writing, 'How progressive are Blake’s dragons connected this one?' portion different said, 'Will determination beryllium dragons?'

Some acknowledged they were conscionable commenting amid the spectacle of the situation, arsenic 1 idiosyncratic said they 'came consecutive to the comments' amid the controversies, portion different asked, 'Who came for conscionable the comments?'

Another idiosyncratic remarked, 'This is the worst timing for this promotion lmfao,' portion 1 predicted, 'They volition beryllium turning disconnected the comments soon.'

Baldoni's squad antecedently said that the communications shared successful tribunal filings connected the website - which already has fans talking - makes things wide astir the motives of some parties, marking the latest section successful the feud between the pb stars of romanticist drama. 

The website, which is unrecorded online at thelawsuitinfo.com, comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation betwixt the collaborators connected the film, which was a deed astatine the container bureau past August. 

The tract went unrecorded days anterior to the archetypal proceeding Monday, which was antecedently pushed up from an archetypal day of February 12, up of a proceedings with a starting day of March 9, 2026 successful the case.  

Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni December 20, earlier officially filing a national suit connected December 31.

Lively successful December sued Baldoni amid claims of intersexual harassment during accumulation of the question picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her successful aggregate ways - including assemblage shaming her - and orchestrating a smear run against her to harm her reputation.  

Baldoni and his reps person said successful effect to the suit that Lively twisted the meaning of substance messages and mislead the nationalist astir their interactions portion making the question picture. 

In her lawsuit, Lively named a fig of Baldoni's collaborators, including his institution Wayfarer Studios, the studio's CEO and fiscal backer, and PR unit Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. 

'I anticipation that my ineligible enactment helps propulsion backmost the curtain connected these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm radical who talk up astir misconduct and helps support others who whitethorn beryllium targeted,' Lively told The New York Times the time aft she filed the complaint.

Baldoni subsequently sued the paper for $250 million in a defamation claim implicit a December 21 communicative titled '"We Can Bury Anyone": Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine;' the paper has denied the allegations.

Baldoni connected January 16 filed a $400 cardinal suit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the tribunal the trio had concocted 'false accusations of intersexual harassment' against him. 

Since Lively's ailment was filed, Baldoni has faced a fig of nonrecreational consequences, including a suit from a erstwhile publicist; and being dropped by the bureau WME, which besides reps Lively and Reynolds.

WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned connected them to merchandise Baldoni from their lawsuit roster, according to Variety. 

Lawyers for some parties were successful accordance with a program to compound some national cases filed into 1 moving forward. 

It Ends with Us, which besides starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, arrived successful theaters August 9 and was a deed with audiences. The film, adapted from the 2016 Colleen Hoover novel, earned $148 cardinal successful home container office, and $350 cardinal globally, according to Box Office Mojo.

Lively broke retired with the 2005 movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants other Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and America Ferrera. That led to her high-profile relation connected the TV amusement Gossip Girl, which she starred connected from 2007-2012, playing pb quality Serena van der Woodsen. 

She has besides appeared successful movies specified arsenic 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 champion known for playing the relation of Rafael Solano connected the TV amusement Jane the Virgin from 2014–2019. He besides has directed films including 2019's Five Feet Apart and 2020's Clouds, and penned the 2021 publication Man Enough, which tackled misconceptions of modern masculinity.