Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us has been an undeniable box office smash — but rumored issues behind the scenes have seemingly left the future of the franchise in question.
An adaption of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, It Ends With Us follows Lively’s Lily Bloom as she enters an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni. Amid their tumultuous relationship, Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), reappears in her life, leaving her with an impossible choice.
Fans have flocked to theaters to see the romantic drama since its August 9 premiere. The film has garnered more than $200 million worldwide at the box office and is expected to net at least $25 million in profits for its distributor, Sony, and Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios, which co-financed the project with TSG Entertainment.
With the sequel novel, It Starts With Us, already on shelves, a second film should feel like a given. The story picks right back up with the main characters a few years after the OG story’s conclusion, with the rights already secured by Baldoni’s company. The issue, however, lies in the rumored drama that has pit Lively and Baldoni against each other amid allegations of tension over creative differences.
Earlier this month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that “there were two camps on the film — team Blake and team Justin,” noting that the “creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and grew into them not speaking anymore.”
While the insider shared that Baldoni felt “hurt and sidelined” as Lively allegedly made decisions about the script and wardrobe changes, “often without consulting Justin or his team,” a second source told Us that Lively did “not have a good opinion” about Baldoni, who has been accused of questioning how much she weighed before lifting her up on set and kissing her too long in a separate scene.
Multiple sources told Variety in August that a sequel now looks unlikely, calling the situation “uncharted territory” for the industry. “Nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like,” an insider close to the situation told the adding that there is “probably no world” where Baldoni and Lively “will work together again.”
Even before the release of It Ends With Us, Baldoni told Variety that a sequel novel isn’t something he had even “begun to think of.” When talking with Entertainment Tonight earlier this month, he hesitated when asked if he would be up to direct a second film at all.
“I think there are better people for that one,” he explained, adding, “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think.”
If Baldoni handed over the reins to Lively, it’s possible he could also step away from playing Ryle, as the character has a much smaller role in the second book’s narrative. However, due to Wayfarer holding the rights to the sequel — and reportedly being the sole party who can determine its fate — there could be the off chance that Lively is the one recast, instead.
So who would step in to play Lily and Ryle, if Lively and Baldoni didn’t reprise their roles? Keep reading a list of Us’ possible replacements for the duo if one — or both — of the original actors choose to exit the franchise:
Abigail Cowen
Long before Lively was officially announced as Lily Bloom, Cowen was the frontrunner with book fans who took to social media to share their dream cast adaptation. The actress is best known for her appearances on The Fosters, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Netflix’s Fate: The Winx Saga, where she played teen fairy Bloom Peters (a subtle sign from the universe, if you ask Us).
While the film chose to age up the characters, therefore making Cowen — who is 10 years younger than Lively — technically too young for a recast, her popularity with book fans is just too strong for Us to deny. And if actors can play younger than their real age, why can’t they play a little older, too?
Holland Roden
As much as we’d love to see Cowen in the role of Lily, Roden fits more accurately into Lively’s age bracket. She’s also known for her incredibly emotional performances as Lydia on MTV’s Teen Wolf, talents which are needed to bring Lily to life. (We also pictured Dylan O’Brien as Atlas while reading the novel, so that might be why we see Roden in the role so clearly — the duo played fan-favorite love interests for six seasons on Teen Wolf.)
Riley Keough
After Daisy Jones and the Six, Keough proved to Us that she can do just about anything. With the wide range of emotions Daisy has to exhibit throughout the series, Keough feels like a great replacement for Lily Bloom.
If you’re wondering where else you’ve seen Keough in action, she’s been in a wide array of notable TV shows and films, including Mad Max: Fury Road, American Honey, The Runaways, Riverdale and more. (And that’s on top of being the granddaughter of Elvis Presley.)
Madelaine Petsch
Speaking of Riverdale, Petsch quickly became a fan favorite of The CW series as Cheryl Blossom, the fiery redhead who was never afraid to speak her mind. Like Cowen, Petsch is still in her 20s — so possibly slightly too young to replace Lively — but her ability to play strong yet vulnerable female characters feels perfect for Lily’s next chapter.
Amanda Seyfried
Seyfried isn’t a redhead, but that’s what hair dye and wigs are for, right? From Mean Girls and Mamma Mia! to The Dropout and Les Miserables, Seyfried’s filmography is endless. While her schedule is likely far too packed to pop in for a sequel to a film she wasn’t even in, she also seems like someone who would be up for the challenge.
And if Baldoni wants to make It Starts With Us a musical, well, Seyfried has done that, too.
Theo James
Like Cowen, James was far and away the most popular fancast for Ryle before Baldoni decided to pull double duty as director and star. James closely resembles the description of Ryle in the novel, matches the more mature age of the film and has experience playing toxic men. (Just turn on HBO’s season 2 of The White Lotus or X-Men ’97.)
Joseph Morgan
While on the topic of actors who are good at playing villains, Morgan made a legacy for himself as vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson on seasons 2 through 5 of The Vampire Diaries. His sardonic and ruthless portrayal of Klaus sparked The Originals spinoff, which lasted for four seasons.
Henry Cavill
Someone who played the world’s most notable superhero may not be an immediate choice to take over as the deeply troubled Ryle, but Cavill has the tall, dark, handsome and strong demeanor needed to match the character’s description. Cavill is also a pro at creating characters from existing IPs: in addition to Superman, he’s portrayed Sherlock Holmes, The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia, Agent Argylle and even made a cameo as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Taylor Kinney
Kinney admittedly has more of a TV background than feature films, but there’s no better time than the present to expand his talents. He has been a mainstay of the One Chicago series for years, starring as Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire since 2012. He also appeared on season 2 of The Vampire Diaries — which shared a network with Lively’s Gossip Girl — and on the mini series Trauma, so he’s well-versed in heavier material.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Coming off his role as the self-absorbed villainous Tom Ryder in The Fall Guy, Taylor-Johnson could continue his streak of playing darker characters — this time in a romantic drama instead of a romantic comedy — by stepping in Ryle’s shoes. He’s also a seasoned pro, with a resume that includes Kick Ass, Bullet Train and Nocturnal Animals. (Did we mention he has curly locks that are incredibly similar to Baldoni’s own ‘do in the film?)
