The hotly-anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel It Ends With Us has been marred in controversy since its release.
Leading stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been at the centre of a publicity storm after rumours of an ongoing 'feud' between them emerged when they failed to do press together.
Blake, 36, has also been hit by claims that she insensitively promoted the film, based off Hoover's novel about an abusive relationship as she has often failed to mention the movie's serious themes.
It Ends With Us has already taken in more than $180million worldwide, showing a massive profit for the movie that cost only $25million to make and so the ready-made sequel would normally follow.
But amid the whirlwind of controversial publicity, fears are now rising about whether the sequel to the popular novel, It Starts With Us, will go ahead as planned.
Justin's production company, Wayfarer Studios, is believed to hold the rights to the sequel after they optioned the film rights for It Starts With Us back in 2019.
It Starts With Us picks up after the end of the first novel and focuses on the relationship between Lily Bloom (Blake) and Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), though Justin's character Ryle Kincaid still features.
However, sources told the Daily Mail that plans to get the hit follow-up novel on to the big screen are in doubt as a result, with the project yet to be officially confirmed.
The hotly-anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel It Ends With Us has been marred in controversy since its release (pictured: Blake Lively)
'It's hard to imagine Justin wanting to work with Blake - or vice versa - after all this bad blood. Whatever started this feud, there certainly has been no obvious rapprochement between the pair,' one industry insider said.
An insider also cautioned The Wrap that 'no additional conversations have been had at this time regarding the sequel', adding to fans' concerns about the follow-up.
While Blake served as a producer on It Ends With Us, Justin directed and executive produced, but he has hinted he may not return in both roles if there is a sequel amid claims of a 'creative struggle' between him and his co-star.
When asked about returning to direct, he recently told Entertainment Tonight: 'You're gonna have to ask me in a little while. We're gonna take a vacation after this.
'I think there are better people for that one. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That's what I think.'
Fears about whether both stars will return for It Starts With Us come amid claims of an ongoing feud between Justin and Blake and behind-the-scenes tension.
A source recently told DailyMail.com that Blake and Justin clashed over his alleged 'dismissive' attitude to her 'input' while they were filming scenes that involved abuse.
The insider claimed that Justin only focused on 'what he believed was the abusive male viewpoint' and had a very 'chauvinistic' approach to the topic.
Days later, TMZ reported that Blake felt 'fat-shamed' by Justin on set while they were preparing for a scene that saw him lift her off the ground.
Insiders told the website that Justin suffers from back problems and sought assistance from a trainer prior to the lifting scene.
Leads Blake and Justin Baldoni (pictured) have been at the centre of a publicity storm after rumours of an ongoing 'feud' between them emerged when they failed to do press together
He allegedly asked the trainer how much Blake weighed and asked for help preparing his back to avoid incurring an injury.
However, it was then claimed that Justin felt 'hurt and sidelined' while starring and directing It Ends with Us.
'There were two camps on the film — team Blake and team Justin. This creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and grew into them not speaking anymore,' a source told Us Weekly.
The insider continued: '[Justin] was made to feel that his vision wasn’t as important as Blake’s, and it stifled the creativity on set.'
Justin was also said to have taken it personally that Blake made various decisions script and wardrobe changes 'often without consulting' him or his team.
A second source, however, insisted that 'any changes or input by Blake was to create the best film possible and [to] honor the book'.
“Blake was a producer and worked closely with Colleen and other female team members on set. Without [Justin’s] input does not mean [she went] behind his back,” the insider explained.
Blake has also come under fire for her lighthearted promotion of the film despite its serious themes, with activists also taking issue with the movie, claiming it 'romanticises and glamorises' domestic violence.
She was recently scrutinized by fans for the way she answered an interview question about the movie's serious themes.
When a reporter asked the Gossip Girl star how people who related to what her character went through could talk to her, her sarcastic response left people outraged.
Rather than encouraging domestic violence victims to seek help from professionals or sharing resources available to them, she laughed at the concept of making herself available to them.
Amid the whirlwind of negative publicity, fears are now rising about whether the sequel to the popular novel, It Starts With Us, will go ahead as planned
'For people who see this movie and relate to the topics of this movie on a deeply personal level, they're really going to want to talk to you,' the interviewer said.
'This movie is going to affect people and they're going to want to tell you about their life.
'So if someone understands the themes of this movie and comes across you in public and they want to really talk to you, what's the best way for them to be able to talk to you about this? How would you recommend they go about it?'
Blake seemed unamused by the idea of people approaching her and wanting to discuss the harrowing themes that play out in the film.
She sarcastically replied: 'Ask for my address or my phone number.'
'Or I could just share my location with you and then we could...,' she trailed off before laughing in remarks which were slammed as 'tone deaf'.
Blake was also criticised after she hosted an interview with her It Ends With Us co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer and author Colleen, but failed to discuss the topic.
The four women chatted about everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs, but there was no mention of domestic violence during their talk.
Several hours later, Blake took to Instagram to share information about domestic violence, as well as some resources for her followers.
She shared a series of links, which included a phone hotline for victims of domestic violence, as well as statistics and other information.
'Everyone deserves relationships free of domestic violence,' she wrote.
While Blake served as a producer, Justin directed and executive produced, but he hinted that he may not take on as many roles if there is a sequel amid claims of a 'creative struggle' on set
After the criticism, Justin was then praised online after he tackled the movie's serious themes head-on with fans during a screening at a Los Angeles theatre.
The actor poignantly reminded viewers to be mindful of how the story in It Ends With Us may affect others.
'This film is about love, it's about hope, it's about romance. But it's also about something very serious - intimate partner violence,' he told the crowds.
'So I just want to say it is prevalent, it is everywhere. There's a good chance that a few people in this room have been touched by it.
'If you see somebody at the end of this film sitting alone and shaking or emotional, maybe consider going up to them and asking them if you can support them in some way.'
Justin added that even those who didn't relate to what the characters went through should still take time to 'reflect' on its themes.
'I ask anybody who watches this film to maybe be reflective at the end and [ask yourself], "What's the cycle that you can break in your life?"' he concluded.
A clip of his speech was uploaded to TikTok, and it quickly went viral, gaining more than 961,000 views in mere hours, with many flocking to the comments to praise Justin for his words.
