Justin Baldoni is facing new scrutiny after newly revealed emails revealed harsh criticism from a Sony Pictures marketing executive over comments he allegedly made during promotion. It ends with us.
The messages, now public as part of the ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Baldoni, show internal frustration with how the film was discussed in the press.
An email dated August 5, 2024 and attributed to Danni Maggin, marketing executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment, took direct aim at Baldoni’s comments during an interview.
In the post, Maggin wrote: “…Justin is basically alluding to”[assualting]”Atlas came out of Lily speaking to the Dallas Morning News. We cut the tape but he’s an idiot.
The email was unsealed in court records related to Lively’s trial.
Maggin’s post also appeared to reference Josh Greenstein, who was then president of Sony Pictures’ Motion Group, suggesting concerns were growing internally.
According to the email, Greenstein felt that Baldoni “shouldn’t do any more press, but he has a lot left so maybe we can talk about it as soon as possible.”
The controversy centers on Baldoni’s depiction of a key scene in the film, in which his character Ryle attacks Lily, played by Lively.
Maggin cited Baldoni’s alleged explanation during the interview, where he said: “To me, that scene was more about Ryle feeling like he had lost all power and feeling so insecure and jealous that the only way in his mind to show her how much he loved her was uh and I won’t say the word we used in developing it, but which was basically to force whatever love she had for Atlas from her.”
He reportedly continued, “So Ryle’s motivation, if you’re talking about the character’s motivation, or why he did what he did, from a cinematic point of view and from an actor’s point of view, was, uh, that he was trying, in his twisted mind, to like… Atlas out of it. There’s another word that we used and I’m sure in your imagination you can go there.”
Behind the scenes, the emails reveal tensions over how It ends with us should be marketed.
Sony’s promotional strategy, which was included in Lively’s lawsuit, asked cast members to avoid making the film “sad or heavy,” instead presenting it as “a story of hope.”
The team specifically asked the actors to focus on Lily’s strength and resilience rather than emphasizing domestic violence.
Lively’s lawyers say Baldoni ignored this approach.
In their lawsuit, they claim: “In the days leading up to the film’s release, Mr. Baldoni abruptly distanced himself from the film’s marketing plan and the types of publicity activities in which he had previously participated. »
Baldoni objected to this assertion.
His legal team, in a countersuit that has since been dismissed, said the strategy Lively outlined was “never the plan Baldoni agreed to.”
They said Baldoni had always intended to openly address domestic violence, adding that he “did not go rogue, as Lively claims”, and that he had resisted pressure from the distributor to soften the message.
The unsealed documents also revealed direct and profane language used internally at Sony about Lively herself.
Andrea Giannetti, executive vice president of production and creative at Sony Pictures, admitted in a deposition that she called Lively a “fucking terrorist” in a message to Wayfarer Studios producer Jamey Heath.
This reportedly happened after Lively threatened to quit the film unless her “17-point list” was met.
Additional posts from March 2024 show Sanford Panitch, president of Sony’s Motion Picture Group, writing “she is a terror.” [sic]” while discussing Lively’s involvement in her own editing of the film.
Following the film’s August 2024 release, Panitch also criticized the timing of the launch of hair care brand Lively, calling it “epic-level stupid” and adding, “She wouldn’t listen.” She knows better. »
A source later said PEOPLE that the launch had been scheduled with Target months earlier and could not be changed, and that it was the film’s release date that changed.
Despite private criticism, Sony has publicly supported Lively. On August 14, Tony Vinciquerra, then chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said in a statement: “Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation about domestic violence is commendable. We love working with Blake and want to make 12 more films with her.”
Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni has denied the allegations. The case is currently scheduled to go to trial in May 2026.
