Paul Feig denies “A Simple Favor 2” was scrapped amid Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni lawsuits: 'Total BS'

Paul Feig has a message if you're excited for A Simple Favor's long-awaited sequel: Don't believe everything you read.

The director behind the 2018 dramedy starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick is dispelling rumors that the film's follow-up has been "indefinitely" delayed.

After a lengthy X thread from internet investigator Eric B claimed that Amazon had scrapped A Simple Favor 2 due to Lively's legal battle with her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni, Feig spoke up with a correction.

"This is total BS," he wrote of the thread. "Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don't believe anything you read on social media these days."

Related: Blake Lively gets Gone Girl-ed in A Simple Favor trailer with Anna Kendrick

Responding to a fan in a second post, he added, "The movie is awesome, and Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances. I can't wait for you all to see it. Stay tuned for more details. A Simple Favor 2 is coming soon!"

Based on the Darcey Bell novel of the same name, A Simple Favor follows mommy blogger Stephanie (Kendrick) as she befriends the secretive, upper-class Emily (Lively), whose child goes to the same elementary school as Stephanie's. When Emily suddenly goes missing, Stephanie begins to investigate — and finds herself drawn into a troubling mystery. The film earned more than $97 million at the box office and garnered positive reviews, with Entertainment Weekly calling it "a taut, absorbing, divinely chic ride." Its sequel wrapped filming in 2024.

The initial post from Eric B claimed that "despite glowing test screenings," the upcoming sequel had been derailed due to "Blake Lively’s refusal to promote — amid her messy legal battle with Justin Baldoni — and growing tensions with Anna Kendrick."

Related: Jean Smart reveals her favorite line that was cut from A Simple Favor

After Feig debunked the claims, Eric B replied, asking him to "clarify" why the film doesn't have a release date, if not for the reasons he cited.

"My friend, it's called post production, which generally takes over half a year at least when you factor in editing, scoring, special effects, sound mixing, close captioning, and all the technical quality control that has to be done," Feig answered. "Our post schedule always had us finishing everything by mid-January."

He continued, "Movies don't come out the second they're finished because the studio spends the previous year deciding the best date to release it. We've always planned on something in the spring/summer of this year. That's how movies work. I hope this helps."

Feig voiced support for Lively last month after she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.

"I've now made two movies with Blake, and all I can say is she's one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented, and kind people I've ever worked with," he wrote on X. "She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it's awful she was put through this."

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Baldoni has denied the allegations, which were first reported in an article published by The New York Times, and has filed a lawsuit against the newspaper for libel. In response, the Times said it plans to "vigorously defend against the lawsuit." Baldoni's lawyer has also announced that the actor-director plans to sue Lively over the accusations.

Baldoni, whose agency dropped him following the allegations, also faces a second lawsuit filed by his former publicist, Stephanie Jones. She accuses his current publicity team of conspiring against her and stealing her clients in their efforts to execute the alleged smear campaign against Lively.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly