How Did Justin Baldoni's Version of “It Ends With Us” Differ from Blake Lively's Cut That Fans Saw in Theaters?

Creative differences between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively led to two very different versions of It Ends With Us, one that made it to theaters and a director's cut that remains unreleased.

After months of rumors and speculation about drama behind the scenes of the romantic drama, Lively filed a complaint on Dec. 20 accusing Baldoni and his associates of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign.

Baldoni, 40, denied the allegations, filing his own lawsuit Dec. 31 against The New York Times for its reporting on her claims. The outlet stands by its story and said it plans to "vigorously" defend against Baldoni's lawsuit. Lively, 37, has since formally filed a lawsuit against him and the producers, and his lawyers plan on suing Lively and her team directly as well.

In Baldoni's complaint, he claims two different edits of It Ends With Us emerged during production, one overseen by Baldoni, the director and lead actor, and one commissioned by Lively, the lead actress who would later gain a producer credit as her version ultimately became the final film.

Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios obtained the rights to adapt It Ends With Us in 2019. When Lively's involvement in the film was reported in January 2023, she was said to be in an executive producer capacity.

According to Baldoni's complaint, Lively allegedly threatened to boycott promoting the film as the final cut was in limbo, prompting Sony Pictures, the distributor, to agree to test the "two competing versions" with focus groups.

Baldoni claims in his filing that his version tested "significantly higher" than Lively's, but Lively said Colleen Hoover, the author of the source material, would side with her if hers wasn't selected.

Lively later "made certain that Baldoni was removed from all artwork for the film (posters included) and stripped him of his 'A Film By' credit," his complaint alleges.

Related: Everything Blake Lively Claims in Complaint Against Justin Baldoni: Unwanted Kissing, Watching Her Naked and Smear Campaign

During the promotion of the film, Lively and others expressed how she had a hand in many aspects of the movie's final product. Many pieces of the costumes came from her own wardrobe, she pulled connections to build the soundtrack, and she said husband Ryan Reynolds contributed dialogue to one pivotal scene.

Lively told Digital Spy she was "proud" to earn her first producer credit for It Ends With Us. "When you work with me, I’m very passionate, so I love getting involved. I used to be insecure about this, and now I’m proud of it.... The work I did as an actor on this film pales in comparison to the work that I did outside of the acting. It was very minimal compared to everything else," she said.

"I felt so grateful to have that level of authorship and involvement. It makes me that much more proud of the film," Lively added to the outlet in August.

When PEOPLE offered the first look at It Ends With Us in April 2024, Baldoni said in an interview, "There wasn't a part of this production that [Lively] didn't touch and have influence on. And everything she put her hands on and her mind to, she made better."

Related: Justin Baldoni's Lawsuit Over Blake Lively Article Alleges 'Doctored' Texts and More: Everything to Know About the Case

In early August 2024, The Hollywood Reporter cited production insiders who said two versions of the movie were at one point in the running, with one saying that isn't uncommon for the filmmaking process. That insider claimed to the outlet that the team was in agreement on using Lively's version.

Alleged text messages included in Baldoni's complaint show him sharing frustration with his editors as they waited to see Lively's version of the film. One editor wrote: "The movie we handed her was SO good that even if it's been screwed with, the base work will still shine through."

When it was revealed that Lively's version would be screened to fans in June 2024 at Book Bonanza in Texas, which Baldoni did not attend, the editor texted, according to Baldoni's complaint: "I just hope you love (or at least stomach) the cut that is going out in to the world...."

Shortly after It Ends With Us debuted in theaters — it would go on to become the highest-grossing movie of Lively's career to date — Sony Pictures Entertainment chair-CEO Tony Vinciquerra praised Lively's "passion and commitment" and added, "We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her."

How might Baldoni's unseen director's cut have differed from the version audiences saw? In Lively's complaint, it's alleged that Baldoni added and improvised scenes that weren't in the previously approved script.

Related: Blake Lively’s Bombshell Case Against Justin Baldoni: Inside the ‘Stressful’ Ordeal (Exclusive)

She claims he added a “detailed scene” in which “the underage version of Ms. Lively’s character, Lily, loses her virginity. In both the book and the script for the film, there was no sex scene; instead, the details about this moment were left to the audience’s imagination. But Mr. Baldoni, added in considerable details, including both dialogue between Young Lily and her boyfriend (Atlas) about the loss of her virginity, as well as a simulated sex scene in which Mr. Baldoni filmed, and included in his initial cut of the film, a close up of Young Lily’s face, accompanied by an audible gasp at the moment of penetration."

Also in Lively's complaint, she claims Baldoni "personally added graphic content, including a scene in which Ms. Lively was to orgasm on-camera. When Ms. Lively objected to these additions, Mr. Baldoni insisted he had added them because he was making the film 'through the female gaze.' " Baldoni later agreed to remove the scenes, according her complaint.

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In a red carpet interview at the film's New York City premiere in August, Baldoni was asked about the potential for a sequel. (He still holds the rights to It Starts With Us, Hoover's 2022 follow-up book.) Baldoni suggested Lively should direct that one: "I think that there are better people for that one," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I think Blake Lively's ready to direct, that's what I think."

After Lively's initial legal action came to light in December 2024, Hoover and costar Brandon Sklenar have expressed support for Lively, as has cast member Jenny Slate, who called Lively a "leader" and said, "I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side."

Lively's lawyers have said "nothing" in Baldoni's Times lawsuit "changes anything" about her own complaint: "We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court." An attorney for Baldoni, meanwhile, said they "plan to release every single text message between the two of them" in forthcoming legal actions: "We want people to make their determination based on receipts."

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