A scene with Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in ‘It Ends with Us’. Picture: Supplied
Justin Baldoni has alleged Blake Lively caused the budget for “It Ends with Us” to balloon due to her wardrobe requirements.
The former “Gossip Girl” actress recently filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, claiming he sexually harassed her on set and subjected her to a smear campaign following the release of their movie last August.
Baldoni, who acted in and directed the feature, denied the allegations and filed his own lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane.
On Tuesday, the 41-year-old filed an amended complaint in court in which he claimed Lively "often" refused to go to fittings and demanded the wardrobe for her character Lily Bloom be "re-shopped".
He alleged this resulted in the budget for the film being inflated by $430,000 (close to R8 million).
In addition, Baldoni claimed the actress asked the "costume department to pack up wardrobe and deliver it to her personal residence" in Manhattan instead of the production office.
"Requests of this nature are typically made during contract negotiations; since Lively made no such request at the time, this added expense was not included in the budget," the lawsuit reads.
"Lively, who had a greater obligation to the studios as an executive producer, paid no heed to budget constraints, let alone to the months of planning that had already been completed."
Elsewhere, Baldoni shared alleged messages from a line producer who apparently reported concerns around budget in April 2023.
They claimed that wardrobe spending had exceeded $615,000, even though the budget was $185,000.
The alleged documentation also includes "hundreds of images" Lively sent to the project's costume designer "depicting the style of wardrobe she wanted for her character".
Elsewhere, Baldoni claimed the 37-year-old "insisted" her character "had money" and "could afford $5,000 shoes - despite being a fledgling small business owner".
Lawyers for Lively have not yet responded to Baldoni's latest allegations.
Both lawsuits are to be addressed at a trial set for March 2026 in New York.
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