Paul Feig Defends Blake Lively Amid Legal Battle: ‘Amazing Collaborator’

The filmmaker reunited with the actress for Another Simple Favor, which will premiere at SXSW

Director Paul Feig has yet again stood up for Blake Lively during her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Following the premiere announcement of A Simple Favor sequel Another Simple Favor, the filmmaker defended Lively as an “amazing collaborator.”

After Prime Video shared that the film would debut at SXSW and on streaming May 1 in an Instagram post, a fan commented, “Is it Paul Feig’s cut or Blake’s cut?”

Feig responded to the comment, writing, “It’s my cut. There is no other cut. Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with. She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan. Just wanted to clear that up.”

The fan comment is in reference to claims that two version of It Ends With Us were created, one by Lively and one by Baldoni, its director. Baldoni made the allegation in a Dec. 31 lawsuit against the New York Times over its reporting of Lively’s Dec. 20 complaint, which accused him of sexual harassment. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Lively’s legal team called Baldoni’s latest suit “another chapter in the abuser playbook” and said that movie studio Sony asked Lively to “oversee Sony’s cut of the film.”

Feig previously debunked rumors that Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni would indefinitely delay its release. “This is total BS. Sorry,” Feig said in January. “The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days.”

Feig first voiced his support for Lively in December shortly after she filed a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment on set and the coordination of 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,” Feig 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.”

Another Simple Favor reunites Lively with Anna Kendrick seven years after the release of the original film. The sequel will make its world premiere on opening night at the SXSW Film Festival on March 7.