In a stunning new lawsuit, It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni has accused his co-star Blake Lively of hijacking the film's budget over extravagant wardrobe demands, leading to a staggering $430,000 overspend.
The legal battle, which has unfolded in the wake of Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, sheds light on an alleged wardrobe debacle that has taken the film’s production costs into uncharted territory.
The controversy began just before Christmas, when Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, which he has vehemently denied.
At the same time, a report from The New York Times claimed Lively accused Baldoni of orchestrating a negative publicity campaign against her.
In retaliation, Baldoni filed his own bombshell $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, claiming that Lively misused her celebrity influence to sabotage the film’s production and tarnish his career.
According to legal documents from Baldoni’s new website, Lively allegedly caused the film's wardrobe budget to exceed its limit by $430,000.
The documents state that Lively demanded a complete "re-shopping" of her wardrobe to match her own vision for the character of Lily Bloom, causing the production team to blow past the originally allocated budget.
One key document from the set, dated April 25, 2023, reads:
“Wardrobe’s budget for spending is $185k. Normally, wardrobe overspends and then does tons of returns and ends up in budget. Our Wardrobe team told me they’d spend about $500k and then land back at $185k once returns are done. To date, they’ve already spent $615K and they need their cashet cards all replenished because they’ve only shopped for Justin and Blake.”
Lively's alleged demands didn’t stop there. The legal documents claim that she repeatedly refused to attend fittings at the production office, which was only 15 minutes from her Manhattan home, and instead insisted that the outfits be shipped to her residence at significant extra cost.
Lively’s wardrobe choices reportedly didn't align with the vision set by Baldoni and the costume team. "Lively was ignoring the director’s vision for her character and disposing of the weeks of effort and creativity spent by the wardrobe team," the lawsuit claims.
It adds that she sent hundreds of images to the film’s costume designer, insisting on a drastic overhaul to achieve the perfect look for her character. This “re-shopping” allegedly forced Baldoni and the team to focus on Lively’s wardrobe at the expense of the rest of the cast, leading to further delays and budget blowouts.
Additionally, the legal documents reveal that Lively even insisted her character, Lily Bloom, “had money” and could afford $5,000 shoes—despite the character being a fledgling small business owner. This resulted in Baldoni having to rework the script, which had already been in development for over a year.
“Lively insisted that her character ‘had money’ and could afford $5,000 shoes—despite being a fledgling small business owner,” the documents read. “This forced Baldoni to rethink the entire script that had been in the works for well over a year and was approved by both Sony and Wayfarer.”
Despite mounting pressure, Baldoni and the studio eventually ceded full control to Lively over her wardrobe choices in an attempt to maintain peace and avoid further delays. However, this decision, according to the lawsuit, proved to be “regrettable.”
Legal documents also describe a tense moment when paparazzi photos of Lively wearing her new wardrobe were published, leading to criticism from Sony. "Baldoni received direct criticism from Sony, who voiced serious concerns about the impact of the photos on the Film’s public reception," the documents claim.
Meanwhile, as the lawsuits continue to unfold, both Baldoni and Lively’s legal teams are focused on accelerating the case. In Monday’s court hearing, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, urged the judge to move the case forward as quickly as possible due to the significant toll the situation has had on Baldoni.
Lively’s legal representative, Michael Gottlieb, rejected the suggestion that Lively was dragging her feet in the lawsuit, insisting the actress had been subjected to unfair treatment during filming. "We do intend to propose a protective order in this case,” Gottlieb said, referring to the importance of protecting high-profile individuals involved in the case.
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