It Ends With Us, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, has been a smashing success — at the box office, if not in the PR department. The film is on its way to hit $250 million in ticket sales worldwide, so naturally, fans are wondering whether there’s a chance for a sequel.
It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively in her biggest movie role yet as Lily Bloom. Jane the Virgin‘s Justin Baldoni stars as Ryle, her main love interest, and is also the film’s director and producer through his production company, Wayfarer Studios. With a budget of $25 million, the film is now on its way to making ten times more, becoming a true success for Sony Pictures.
In an environment where studios are taking fewer risks, they are always gambling on IPs with an established fanbase, and It Ends With Us is the perfect example of a film adaptation whose source novel boasts a huge readership. Things get even more exciting when you find out that there is a sequel to the novel, called It Starts With Us. Usually, when studios bet on sequels to successful film or TV adaptations, but without a subsequent sequel to the novel the first film was based on, they end up disappointing fans by continuing the story without solid source material (we’re looking at you, second season of Big Little Lies). It Starts With Us follows the relationship between Lily and Atlas and picks up at the end of It Ends With Us, and seems ripe for a follow-up adaptation. So, will there be another movie?
The It Ends With Us sequel’s future is uncertain because of the on-set and press tour drama
Ahead of the film’s premiere on Aug. 9, Blake Lively’s videos and promotional material barely included Justin Baldoni. Things got even more serious at the film’s premiere, where the two co-stars avoided each other on the red carpet and apparently didn’t pose together in any photos. Throughout the press tour, Blake Lively completely sidestepped any question about working with Baldoni, despite the actor and director constantly praising her involvement in the development of the film. He also didn’t introduce the film alongside Lively and Hoover at the premiere.
The entire cast distanced itself from Baldoni, actively choosing to unfollow him on social media — although he does follow them back — yet no one fully addressed the issues on set. Many claimed there were several creative differences between Lively and Baldoni, who had different visions for the adaptation. Baldoni also hired a crisis PR veteran to help him amid the drama; Melissa Nathan, who was behind Johnny Depp during his legal battle with ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.
The speculation about the rift between director and star includes a clash over the final cut of the film. Sony reportedly preferred Lively’s version over Baldoni’s, although his cut rated better in a focus group. Ryan Reynolds’ involvement in the creative process also raised some eyebrows, as Lively credited him for re-writing an important scene — to the screenwriter’s bewilderment, no less.
So it sure looks like the feud between the two leads overshadows the possibility of a sequel. “This is uncharted territory, and nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like,” a source told Variety. “There’s probably no world where these two will work together again.” Since Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios hold the cinematic rights to It Ends With Us and its sequel, It Starts With Us, continuing the movie without him would be complicated, to say the least.
Lively also received criticism for how she handled the press tour, as she used the opportunity to promote her businesses, Betty Booze, and her haircare line, Blake Brown. The film’s marketing received backlash for its floral-themed, girly vibe, and glaring lack of resources for, or even any mention of domestic violence. The studio only included a trigger warning a week after its premiere.
Although It Ends With Us is the highest-grossing film for both Baldoni and Lively, it’s uncertain whether they can put their differences aside and collaborate again. Although Baldoni hasn’t confirmed a sequel, he shared before the feud went public that he thinks Lively is ready to direct, which suggests he’s not interested in returning to the directorial chair. Unfortunately, the ones who will suffer most are the moviegoers, as It Ends With Us‘s success proved the public is more than ready for a more hopeful sequel.