Following his suit against the New York Times, ‘It Ends With Us’ director and actor Justin Baldoni sues co-star Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million. Moreover, he drags Taylor Swift into the case by claiming that Lively leveraged her friendship with the global icon to pressure him. Baldoni’s countersuit comes after Lively sued him for sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she called his behaviour on set. In his suit, the actor sues Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for damages, citing civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.

Apart from citing defamation, Baldoni accuses Lively of trying to take complete control of ‘It Ends With Us.’ He states that the actress relied on Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift’s stardom to pressure him.

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Justin Baldoni accuses Lively of trying to ‘destroy’ his image:

Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, states that Lively and her team engaged in spreading misinformation. The suit states that they circulated “grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media.” He also accuses them of trying to “bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons.” In the 179-page complaint, Baldoni accuses the couple of sabotaging his reputation. The reported complaint states that Blake Lively was “determined to make Baldoni the real-life villain in her story” to avoid being labelled as “tone-deaf” during the film’s media tour.

Baldoni’s team alleges that the couple used media to falsely accuse Baldoni and others involved in the production of sexual harassment and other misconduct. The lawsuit states: “This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio. Then, when Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat.”

The suit alleges that Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift tried to pressure Justin Baldoni to let Lively re-write key scene:

As reported by PEOPLE, Baldoni described Lively’s involvement in rewriting key movie scenes. The actor claims pressure from Reynolds and Taylor Swift. During pre-production, Lively reportedly requested to rewrite the pivotal ‘rooftop scene.’ In the scene, Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, meets Baldoni’s character, Ryle Kincaid. While Baldoni was initially hesitant, he agreed to look at her revisions.

Reportedly, after Baldoni expressed mild resistance, Lively went silent for days before responding via text. She said “didn’t feel great” to her, Reynolds, and Taylor Swift—a close friend of the couple. The suit also alleges that Lively and Reynolds invited Baldoni to their penthouse where their close friend, Taylor Swift was also present. His suit alleges that the trio subtly pressured him to accept Lively’s re-write. Subsequently, he gave in.

Blake Lively compares herself to Khaleesi from ‘GOT’:

As per the complaint, she responded enthusiastically, comparing herself to Game of Thrones’ Khaleesi. Moreover, the actress reportedly called Reynolds and Swift her “dragons” who protect her.

Lively allegedly texted Baldoni, “If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you’ll appreciate that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually for better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So, really, we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.”

Referencing the message, the suit claims, “The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”

Baldoni’s suit against The New York Times and his letter to Marvel and Disney:

Prior to suing Lively and Reynolds, Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times over their article detailing Lively’s allegations against him. He sued the outlet for reporting misinformation and defamation. Meanwhile, recently, Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel president Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger and director Tim Miller. The notice asks them to preserve all documents related to the ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ character Nicepool and data connected to Baldoni.

Also read: Justin Baldoni asks Marvel and Disney to preserve documents about ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’s Nicepool

For Justin’s suit against NY Times: Justin Baldoni sues The New York Times in connection to the Blake Lively case

For details on Lively’s accusations, Read: Blake Lively sues ‘It Ends with Us’ co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment