Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $400M in extortion lawsuit

Justin Baldoni is suing his "It Ends with Us" co-star Blake Lively for $400 million.

In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni's lawyers accuse Lively and her A-list actor husband Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion.

Baldoni's lawyers write in the filing that Lively "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."

Baldoni, who has posited himself as one of Hollywood's most outspoken advocates against the pervasive elements of masculinity that led to the #MeToo reckoning, was accused of sexual harassment by Lively in a lawsuit filed late last year.

USA TODAY has reached out to Lively's reps for comment.

The lawsuit repeatedly slams Lively for alleged on-set behavior. Baldoni's lawyers say that his company, Wayfarer Studios, cast the "Gossip Girl" alum as the film's protagonist Lily Bloom, even though they claim they "learned that Lively had a reputation for being difficult to work with."

At first, the suit claims, the pair "texted almost daily," and they shared a "comfortable dynamic" with "friendly banter." Later, though, during pre-production for the film, Baldoni claims Lively began "asserting control almost immediately," specifically over her character's wardrobe.

"At one point, Lively insisted that her character 'had money' and could afford $5,000 shoes—despite being a fledgling small business owner," the lawsuit claims. Lively's character Bloom was a floral shop owner.

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni legal drama Inside the claims made by 'It Ends with Us' stars

"It Ends with Us," based on the book of the same name by buzzy New York Times bestseller Colleen Hoover, centers around florist Lily Blossom Bloom (Lively), who falls head over heels in love with a seemingly perfect neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) and reconnects with her childhood sweetheart, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). Below the surface, the film grapples with disturbing patterns of domestic abuse.

In a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday, Baldoni's high-powered entertainment lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed the suit.

"This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team's duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media," Freedman said in the statement.

Freedman added: "It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret."

The former co-stars, who drew buzz and controversy with their roles in the romantic drama "It Ends with Us," allege that behind the scenes, working together was anything but movie magic. Still, at the box office, the Colleen Hoover film adaptation grossed $351 million worldwide for Sony Pictures.

Baldoni previously sued The New York Times for $250 million alleging libel on New Year's Eve after the news organization published his co-star's smear campaign accusations.

This story is developing.

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds for $400M