Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig is coming to Blake Lively’s defense once again.
“We have Another Simple Favor to ask you… can you save the date?” Prime Video captioned an Instagram post on Tuesday, February 4, revealing the movie’s poster for the first time. “Opening Night at SXSW. May 1 on Prime Video.”
The comments section was quickly flooded with backlash against Lively, 37, amid her ongoing legal battle against It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni. Feig, 62, came to Lively’s defense, responding to a comment asking how many versions of Another Simple Favor were made.
“Is it Paul Feig’s cut or Blake’s cut?” the commenter wondered, apparently alluding to the controversy around the final cut of It Ends With Us. Feig replied, coming to Lively’s defense. (Feig directed Lively in 2018’s A Simple Favor. She and costar Anna Kendrick are both returning for the sequel.)
‘It Ends With Us’ Studio Supports Blake Lively Amid Justin Baldoni Lawsuit
“It’s my cut. There is no other cut,” he responded. “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 comment comes days after Feig addressed the rumor that Amazon Studios had shelved the project.
Lively is currently embroiled in a highly publicized legal battle against, Baldoni, 41, after filing a complaint against the actor and his Wayfair Studios production company in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Lively has since filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, which mirrored the initial complaint.
Baldoni has continued to deny the allegations and retaliated by filing two lawsuits of his own. In December 2024, he sued The New York Times for $250 million after they initially published Lively’s complaint. (The New York Times told Us Weekly in a statement they plan to “defend against the lawsuit.”)
Baldoni also sued Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane for $400 million, accusing them of extortion, defamation and false light invasion of privacy, among other claims. (Lively’s legal team referred to his suit as “desperate” in a statement to Us last month.)
In his suit, Baldoni claimed that Lively replaced the editors of It Ends With Us with her own, which forced the original ones to be let go.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Conflict ‘Is Not a Celebrity Feud’: Source
Lively and Baldoni’s teams appeared in court for the first time on Monday, February 3, and federal judge Lewis J. Liman stated that the proposed March 2026 trial could be moved up if the legal battle continues to be “litigated in the press.”
Lively’s team told Us in a statement on Monday that they are “pleased with the result” of the hearing and are “eager to move forward.”
“The Court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury,” the statement continued. “This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We will hold the defendants accountable, and we are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail.”
Baldoni’s legal team released a separate statement to Us on Monday.
“Our clients are devastated and want to move the case along as quickly as possible. We just couldn’t be more pleased with how the case was handled today, how it was managed,” they wrote. “We’re going to move as quickly as we possibly can and prove our innocence, in a world where sometimes people judge you before they give you a chance. And we’re going to change that.”
