Even though the one-year anniversary of It Ends With Us passed a few months ago, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are still embroiled in a legal battle with one another regarding their work together on the romance drama. One of the latest claims from Baldoni’s side of things is that Lively allegedly improvised an unscripted kiss on the set of the movie (now streaming with a Netflix subscription) between herself and him. Let’s get into these claims.
Justin Baldoni Accuses Blake Lively Of An Unscripted It Ends With Us Kiss
Per a new report, Baldoni’s lawyers are now claiming on behalf of the It Ends With Us’s writer/director about an unscripted kiss. In a new motion for summary judgment filed on Thursday, November 13, newly-revealed footage shows Lively and Baldoni as the characters of Lily and Ryle sharing a quick kiss initiated during a scene in the hospital that never made the final cut. You can check out the video yourself on People.
Baldoni’s legal team is claiming that Lively, who was also a producer on the movie, “oversaw” the scene where her character kisses his in “every take,” even though the beat reportedly wasn’t in the script itself.
What Does This Mean For Their Legal Battle?
These new claims are pertinent to the disputes between Lively and Baldoni because it was previously reported that Lively herself met with Baldoni and the producers in early 2024 (amidst filming after the strikes) with a set of conditions for returning to work. That allegedly included “no more improvising of kissing.”
Now, as noted by Baldoni’s lawyers in this new motion for summary judgment, the newly-revealed scene was shot back in May 2023 before the actor’s strike paused production of the film, well before this conditions meeting apparently took place. These new claims do seem to add to Baldoni’s case against Lively’s claims of unscripted kisses (though, the clip itself doesn’t prove whether it was unscripted or improvised). While it feels like a small piece of the puzzle, we imagine Baldoni’s legal team are pointing to this clip as part of their case.
Right now, there’s a trial between the It Ends With Us talent set for March, with both parties expected to testify. In this new motion for summary judgment, Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties requested that Judge Lewis J. Liman rule in their favor without the case going to trial. Liman has yet to comment on it.
Previously, Lively has earned more wins, and the judge threw out Baldoni’s countersuit, but his team claimed they would continue to fight for him in Lively’s lawsuit. Blake Lively’s team recently claimed that she’s already lost hundreds of millions as a result of these legal disputes. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.