With $7 million in Thursday previews and an opening weekend likely to top $40 million, romantic drama “It Ends With Us” is shaping up to be a box office smash. That begs the question: Will the cast return for the sequel? “It Ends With Us” is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 best-selling novel of the same name. Hoover released a sequel, “It Starts With Us,” in 2022.
Justin Baldoni, director and lead actor of It Ends With Us, spoke to Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere and was asked if he would star in a potential sequel. Much to the interviewer’s surprise, he turned the idea down.
More from Variety
“I think there are better people for this movie,” Baldoni said. “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s my opinion.”
Lively plays Lily Bloom, a Boston flower shop owner who falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, in “It Ends With Us.” The former “Gossip Girl” actress also produced the film. Baldoni plays Ryle, while “1923” actor Brandon Sklenar plays Lily’s teenage flame Atlas Corrigan. How Lily navigates the love triangle and overcomes Ryle’s violent aggression makes up the bulk of the story. All three characters return in the sequel, “It Starts With Us,” although it seems Baldoni has no interest in directing the film.
In the days leading up to the release of It Ends With Us, rumors circulated that there had been a dispute between Baldoni and Lively during post-production over the final cut of the film. Neither actor has commented on the rumors. Baldoni was the one who optioned Hoover’s novel and acquired the film rights, and said diversity: “It was sexy, romantic and mysterious. At the end I cried real tears.”
“I was very protective of this book,” Hoover added, noting that she had turned down several offers before Baldoni’s offer. “But then I got an email from Justin that was really heartfelt, and I felt like he understood the book and that he understood how important it was that people needed to see it on screen.”
Sony’s “It Ends With Us” is now playing in cinemas nationwide.
The best of diversity
Subscribe to Variety’s newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
