Blake Lively film It Ends With Us gets release date despite shoot being paused due to WGA strike
Sony Pictures has set a theatrical release date for February 9, 2024 for Blake Lively’s new movie It Ends With Us, despite production being temporarily paused due to the ongoing WGA strike, according to deadline.
Filming began on May 5 in Hoboken, New Jersey, but the following month, the romantic movie stopped filming and the set shut down for the unforeseen future, in part due to the presence of picket lines.
The Gossip Girl alum was last seen filming on June 9, while another deadline report revealed that less than half of the film had been completed at the time of the hiatus.
Directed by Justin Baldoni from a screenplay by Christy Hall, the film’s story is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.
It was Wayfarer Studios and its founder Baldoni, who also stars opposite Lively, who broke the news to crew members that they had to halt production, according to an email obtained by the publication.
Release date: Blake Lively’s upcoming movie It Ends With Us was given an official release date of February 9, 2024 from Sony Pictures, despite production being temporarily halted due to WGA picket lines; the actress can be seen on set in Hoboken, New Jersey on May 18, three weeks before the break
“Due to the ongoing WGA strike and the days lost due to protests, we have to make the difficult decision to temporarily halt production,” the announcement began.
That decision to shut down production came just days after the film was first picked in New Jersey on June 5.
The reason behind the stoppage was due to ‘the inability to convince the WGA that Wayfarer Studios’ co-financing status was sufficient for it to be considered that the production was within WGA guidelines’.
Despite Sony Pictures being the distributor of the film on a modest budget, there’s good reason to believe that the It Ends With Us production followed those WGA guidelines by having Wayfarer Studios on board as a co-financier.
Talks on the matter were said to have been ongoing during the time production was shut down.
The hiatus left at least 140 people without their jobs, many of whom asked for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the WGA to meet and reach a compromise.
So far, there’s been no official word on whether some sort of agreement has been reached that would appease the Writer Guild Of America to halt production.
Litigation Ongoing: Filming for It Ends With Us began May 5 in Hoboken, New Jersey, but within a month the romantic comedy was on hold for the unforeseen future, in part due to the presence of picket lines; this image shows a picket line in Los Angeles
At issue: The reason behind the shutdown was due to “the inability to convince the WGA that the co-financing status of Wayfarer Studios was sufficient to consider that the production was within WGA guidelines.” The actress can be seen on the set of the film. before the interruption; Lively is filming with Brandon Sklenar in Hoboken, New Jersey, in May
Premise: It Ends With Us follows recently graduated Lily (Lively), who moves to Boston for a fresh start and meets a handsome neurosurgeon named Ryle (Baldoni). As their romance unfolds, things get complicated when she meets her first love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar).
It Ends With Us follows a recent graduate Lily (Lively), who moves to Boston and decides to start her own business.
After kicking off her new start, Lily meets a handsome neurosurgeon named Ryle (Baldoni), and believes she’s found her soul mate very well, despite his aversion to committed relationships.
As their romance unfolds, things get complicated when she meets the first love of her life, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar).
Atlas’s return sets off a streak where she begins to question everything, eventually jeopardizing her relationship with Ryle.
Film adaptation: The romance film is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover
The cast also includes comedian Hasan Minhaj, who has been tapped to play the role of Ryle’s best friend, and Jenny Slate.
When it was announced that Lively was being cast in the film, the novel’s author gushed over the lead actress on Instagram.
‘Blake Lively, everyone! She’s my dream Lily,” Hoover gushed in the tearful video, shot in front of the house where she grew up.
“And when I first met Justin Baldoni, who directs the movie for It Ends With Us, I immediately wanted him to be Ryle,” she continued. “I just thought he had it in him.”