Blake Lively is set to star in and produce new romantic comedy The Survival List.
The actress, 37, is teaming up with Lionsgate for the film, a company she notably worked with to make 2018’s A Simple Favor and its 2025 sequel, Another Simple Favor.
The story, written by Tom Melia, follows highbrow reality TV producer Annie, who is set to reluctantly work on a new show hosted by famous survival expert Chopper Lane. Annie had been assigned the gig against her wishes.
According to the film’s logline, drama ensues when a shipwreck causes the pair to get stuck on a deserted island and “Annie discovers Chopper is a fraud and knows nothing about survival, leaving her in charge of figuring out how to keep them alive.”
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Like all good rom-coms, the film promises unlikely chemistry between the mismatched duo.
As well as Lively, Oscar nominee and award-winning producer Marc Platt is in discussions to join the project as a producer.
The Survival List is the first new film project Lively has been attached to since her legal battle with It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni kicked off.
Lively and Baldoni’s legal drama began in December 2024, when the actress accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and deliberately creating a smear campaign against her.
The Gossip Girl alum then sued Baldoni, his publicity team and a series of other defendants, alleging that she was retaliated against for the sexual harassment allegations.
In response, Baldoni vehemently denied all allegations against him and went on to countersue Lively. In June, a judge dismissed his lawsuit against the actress.
On July 31, Us Weekly confirmed that Lively began her deposition. Her case against Baldoni is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
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In 2022, Lively spoke about her desire to be involved in more aspects of the filmmaking process.
“When I was younger in my life and career, I would sort of shape myself to the version of myself that I thought that they wanted. Or when I would show up on a set, I knew that they just wanted me to show up and look cute and stand on a little pink sticker where I’m supposed to go and say what I’m supposed to say,” she said during a Forbes Power Women’s Summit interview.
The actress added, “But I always knew, like, that wasn’t fulfilling for me, that I wanted to be a part of the storytelling, that I wanted to be a part of the narrative, whether that be in the writing, in the costume design, in creating the character.”
