LOS ANGELES — “It Ends With Us” actor and director Justin Baldoni has sued his co-star Blake Energetic and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation on Thursday within the newest step in a bitter authorized battle surrounding the darkish romantic drama.
Baldoni’s swimsuit seeks a minimum of $400 million for damages that embody misplaced future revenue. The lawsuit from Baldoni and manufacturing firm Wayfarer Studios, which additionally names publicist Leslie Sloane as a defendant, comes about two weeks after Energetic sued Baldoni and a number of other others tied to the movie, alleging harassment and a coordinated marketing campaign to assault her popularity for coming ahead about her therapy on the set.
That lawsuit got here the identical day that Baldoni sued the New York Occasions for libel, alleging the paper labored with Energetic to smear him.
The brand new lawsuit filed in federal court docket in New York says the plaintiffs didn’t wish to file the swimsuit, however that Energetic “has unequivocally left them with no choice, not only to set the record straight in response to Lively’s accusations, but also to put the spotlight on the parts of Hollywood that they have dedicated their careers to being the antithesis of.”
The 2 actors are additionally each represented by company WME, which dropped Baldoni as a consumer after Energetic filed a authorized grievance that was a precursor to her lawsuit and the Occasions revealed its story on the combat surrounding the movie.
The shock hit movie based mostly on the novel by Colleen Hoover has made main waves in Hollywood and led to discussions of the therapy of feminine actors each on units and in media.