It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni clashed with cast and book’s author: ‘They will have nothing to do with him’

The It Ends with Us stars and Colleen Hoover, the author of the 2016 book on which the film is based, “want nothing to do with” director Justin Baldoni.

‘Nothing is as it seems’ regarding Baldoni, 40, who also reportedly clashed with the film’s lead actor, Blake Lively, 36, during production of the movie, a source told People on monday.

“There’s a lot more to this story,” a source told the outlet. “The lead actors and Colleen Hoover want nothing to do with him.”

While the director had “creative differences” with some of the people he worked with on the film, reports of tension during the making of the movie were “exaggerated,” a source close to Baldoni told People on Monday.

The source added that Lively “wants to direct the next film, step him aside and secure the rights to Colleen.”

Hoover, the author of the 2016 book on which the film is based, and Blake Lively, 36, were photographed at the film’s New York premiere on Aug. 6.

Speculation about tension between the film’s director and star grew even more when Baldoni decided not to take photos of the entire cast at the film’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, People reported.

Baldoni was photographed alone posing alongside his wife Emily Baldoni, 40, family members and producers at the film’s premiere.

Baldoni led an “extremely difficult” environment for cast and crew, Page Six reported, based on multiple sources, that Lively personally felt “uncomfortable” during the filming.

A source told the outlet: ‘None of the actors enjoyed working with Justin – they certainly didn’t speak to him at the premiere.’

Insiders told Page Six that Lively and Baldoni saw the film in “two separate theaters” of the cinema.

Several insiders told the newspaper that Baldoni “would never intentionally make his cast feel unsupported.”

Baldoni and Lively’s feud could impact future projects in the franchise, as he may not direct a sequel based on Colleen Hoover’s 2022 book It Starts With Us, the sequel to the current film’s source novel, 2016’s It Ends With Us.

Baldoni, whose production company Wayfarer Studios owns the rights to the book, appeared to distance himself from directing a sequel in a red carpet interview. Entertainment tonight at the premiere.

Lively was photographed at the film’s premiere on August 6 in New York

Sources told DailyMail.com on Friday that Baldoni behaved in a “chauvinistic” and “transgressive” manner while filming the movie, and that he was “dismissive” of suggestions Lively made “during scenes depicting abuse.”

Lively and Baldoni, who also directed the film, starred in the film, which had a strong opening weekend at the box office

Baldoni was photographed at the film’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, posing alongside his wife Emily Baldoni, 40

“I think there are better people for this movie. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct, I think,” Baldoni said.

Sources told DailyMail.com on Friday that Baldoni behaved in a “chauvinistic” and “transgressive” manner while filming the movie, and that he rejected suggestions from Lively “during scenes involving abuse.”

The source added that Baldoni “did not consider Blake’s character’s perspective and instead focused exclusively on what he saw as the abusive male point of view” and that “his approach was very chauvinistic, which created a tense atmosphere on set.”

“Justin almost became a character in the sense that some of the women on set felt that he was almost insulting and that he was unprofessional and unapologetic.”

According to a logline for the film, “Lily (Lively) overcomes a traumatic childhood to start a new life, while ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon creates a connection, but Lily also begins to see sides of him that remind her of her relationship with her parents.’

The film, which also stars Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, finished in second place at the U.S. box office last weekend with $50 million and grossed $80 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.