Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Former Agent Calls Her Actions “Extortion” in Newly Released ‘It Ends With Us’ Deposition — Full Details of the Ongoing Dispute
Newly released deposition transcripts have pulled back the curtain on the tension surrounding It Ends With Us, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. What began as a celebrated project about love, healing, and second chances has taken a surprising legal turn involving accusations, professional fallouts, and behind-the-scenes conflict that few expected.
According to court documents reviewed this week, Justin Baldoni’s former agent has accused Blake Lively’s behavior during production negotiations of crossing a line — even calling it “extortion” in a deposition tied to the ongoing IEWU dispute. The deposition, part of a broader legal disagreement over creative control, marketing, and contractual influence, has added another layer of drama to a film that already generated months of headlines during production delays and union complications.
The transcripts detail discussions between Lively’s representatives and Baldoni’s team at Wayfarer Studios, where conflicting visions reportedly emerged regarding how the adaptation should be handled. Lively, who stars as Lily Bloom and also contributed creative input during the production, allegedly raised strong objections about certain decisions, including marketing direction and publicity commitments. According to the former agent’s statements, those objections were interpreted as undue pressure — though others close to the project insist she was simply advocating for professional boundaries and artistic integrity.
While the “extortion” claim quickly made headlines, sources close to both parties urge caution. Several people involved in the production say the use of that term in the deposition was exaggerated and taken out of context. “This was a heated exchange between teams managing a massive film under intense public scrutiny,” one insider explained. “Blake has always been professional, and she only pushed for what she felt protected her work and the project’s message.”
For Justin Baldoni, who both directed and starred in the film, the legal dispute marks an unexpected challenge after years of cultivating a reputation for compassionate, emotion-driven storytelling. Known for his work on Five Feet Apart and Jane the Virgin, Baldoni was seen as the ideal person to bring Hoover’s emotional novel to life. Yet the growing friction around It Ends With Us — from shooting delays to creative disagreements — has made the production as dramatic as the story it tells.
As for Lively, her involvement in the film was initially celebrated by fans of the novel, but her deeper influence behind the camera became a talking point as the project progressed. Supporters point out that she’s known for her meticulous attention to detail and long-standing advocacy for respectful creative environments. Still, the legal back-and-forth between her team and Baldoni’s former representatives paints a picture of a production where communication broke down at several levels.
Neither Lively nor Baldoni has publicly commented on the latest transcript release, but their representatives have emphasized that both remain focused on the film’s message rather than the noise surrounding it. It Ends With Us, which recently completed post-production, is expected to premiere in 2025 after months of speculation and halted timelines during the Hollywood strikes.
The story behind the story now reflects some of the same emotional turbulence that made Hoover’s novel a global phenomenon. The film, centered on resilience and the complexity of love after trauma, may arrive carrying more real-world tension than anyone predicted. Whether this legal dispute fades quietly or escalates further remains to be seen — but for now, it has cemented It Ends With Us as one of Hollywood’s most talked-about productions of the year.
