It turns out that director Justin Baldoni was not aware of Ryan Reynolds’ role in creating the memorable rooftop scene between him and Blake Lively in It Ends With Us. Blake Lively herself proudly shared her husband’s behind-the-scenes contribution to the film during its NYC premiere with E! News. Meanwhile, a source revealed that Baldoni, who both starred in and directed the film, was taken aback when he learned about Reynolds’ involvement. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reportedly not responded to queries about whether Reynolds’ contribution could be seen as a guild violation that might lead to credit disputes.
While it’s not uncommon for films to have uncredited writers, the fact that the director was unaware of it is quite unusual. According to Variety, an insider mentioned that Baldoni believed Lively had improvised the scene. “Earlier this month Blake made headlines when she shared that her husband wrote the “iconic rooftop scene,” and it appears that was news to Justin as well,” the reports said.
Christina Hall, the screenwriter for It Ends With Us, had earlier told People that she was also unaware of Reynolds’ contribution to the script. “There were a couple of things that I thought had been improvised. Like when he says, ‘Pretty please with a cherry on top,’ and she talks about the maraschino cherries. When I saw a cut, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cute. That must have been a cute improvised thing.’ So if I’m being told that Ryan wrote that, then great, how wonderful,” she added.
Hall also noticed a few changes in the script but assumed they were on-the-spot improvisations during filming. However, she added that the key moments she felt needed to stay true to the original were left intact, so she had little to complain about. When discussing the rooftop scene, Hall said it was “probably the trickiest one to tackle” because it’s “perfect in the novel,” so her initial approach was to remain faithful to Colleen Hoover’s original writing.
Released on August 9, It Ends With Us is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name. The book, as well as the film, follows Lily Bloom (portrayed by Lively) as she struggles in an abusive relationship with renowned neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (played by Baldoni). As their relationship deteriorates, Atlas Corrigan, Lily’s first love from her teenage years (played by Brandon Skelnor), reappears in her life. Hoover has also written a follow-up book titled It Starts With Us, which could serve as material for a potential sequel.
However, a source told Variety in a story published on August 27 that it’s unlikely Lively and Baldoni would collaborate again. So, if a sequel does materialise, it might have to proceed without the actor-director duo.
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