Brandon Sklenar is game to continue the story of It Ends with Us if it hasn’t ended in the face of all the controversy.
The drama never ended for the film It Ends with Us as a back and forth between the film’s stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, raged on when the two got into a public beef after Lively made claims of Baldoni’s inappropriate treatment. The drama between the three has been going on since the summer – with reports of a power struggle going on behind the scenes – it was only a few weeks ago that Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds – which stems from the It Ends With Us director’s belief that the Hollywood power couple are intent on destroying his reputation (or what’s left of it), down to him saying that Reynolds based the “Nicepool” persona on him as a way to make fun of the director on a worldwide scale.
While the conflict rages, one actor who would love for the ugliness to subside so that a sequel could happen is Brandon Sklenar. The 1923 star recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, where he got to shortly address his hope for revisiting the story. The Colleen Hoover novel did get a sequel with It Starts with Us, so the idea is not unprecedented. When THR asked if he would like to reprise his role, Sklenar responded,
Yeah, absolutely. I don’t know what’s happening with that, but I’m really proud of that movie and what it means and what it stands for. It was deeply personal to me. I’ve got someone very, very close to me who has been in that situation that Lily [Blake Lively‘s character] has been in for years, and I’ve been really on the frontlines helping her. So it means a lot to me and I’m just happy that it meant a lot to so many people as well. I would love to continue the story if it ever happens.”
The plot began to thicken recently when Baldoni had launched a website that contains numerous files including texts where Reynolds is evidently praising the director. One of the files on Baldoni’s website – which you can access here – is a 168-page whopperlabeled “Timeline of Relevant Events” (which also apparently serves as his Exhibit A), wherein details span from the director reaching out to It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover about optioning the book in 2019 to a dive into internet metadata as recently as January 2025. The key takeaways right now focus on emails and text messages between the three, with much emphasis put on those between Baldoni and Reynolds, with one showing the latter heaping praise on the director, saying his wife normally passes on a lot of projects so must find something special in Baldoni and the material. One text concludes, “I’m excited for you to work together. I’m excited for Blake to crack open her creative piggy bank with someone as dynamic as you … I happen to adore you, Justin.”
This and more texts and emails between the three are seemingly meant to paint Baldoni as the sole victim here, although whether or not any of these receipts will hold will come down to the courts. And as you read this, it’s almost certain that Lively and Reynolds are gearing up to fire back, as they have been adamant on countering anything Baldoni hits them with.
