Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds in 'It Ends With Us' extortion lawsuit

Justin Baldoni is suing his "It Ends with Us" co-star Blake Lively for $400 million.

In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni's lawyers accuse Lively and her A-list actor husband Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion.

Baldoni's lawyers write in the filing that Lively "unequivocally left them with no choice, not only to set the record straight in response to Lively’s accusations, but also to put the spotlight on the parts of Hollywood that they have dedicated their careers to being the antithesis of."

Baldoni, who has posited himself as one of Hollywood's most outspoken advocates against the pervasive elements of masculinity that led to the #MeToo reckoning, was accused of sexual harassment by Lively in a lawsuit filed late last year.

Lively filed a lawsuit on New Year's Eve against Baldoni for sexual harassment. The actress's suit arrived weeks after she filed a headline-grabbing complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department. The lawsuit and complaint followed rampant rumors and online speculation of a summer-long feud between the pair on the press tour for one of the box office's buzziest films.

In response to Baldoni's Thursday lawsuit, Lively's legal team slammed the complaint as "another chapter in the abuser playbook" and claimed Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and other associates are retaliating against Lively's harassment allegations.

"It Ends with Us," based on the book of the same name by buzzy New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, follows the love life of florist Lily Blossom Bloom (Lively), who falls head over heels in love with a seemingly perfect neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) and reconnects with her childhood sweetheart, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). Below the surface, the film grapples with disturbing patterns of domestic abuse.

Blake Lively's legal team: Justin Baldoni attempting to 'shift the narrative' of harassment claims

In a statement provided to USA TODAY Thursday, Lively's legal team accused Baldoni of attempting to "turn the tables" on her and distort her claims of sexual misconduct.

"Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder (Steve Sarowitz) to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public's ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations," the statement read.

The actress's attorneys also allege Lively's "It Ends with Us" co-stars "had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer."

"They are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni," Lively's attorneys said. "The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively's complaint, and it will fail."

Justin Baldoni claims Blake Lively engaged in inappropriate on-set behavior

Baldoni's lawsuit repeatedly slams Lively for allegedly inappropriate on-set behavior. Baldoni's lawyers say Wayfarer Studios cast the "Gossip Girl" alum as the film's protagonist Lily Bloom, even though Baldoni claims they "learned that Lively had a reputation for being difficult to work with."

At first, the suit claims the pair "texted almost daily" and that they shared a "comfortable dynamic" with "friendly banter." Later, though, during pre-production for the film, Baldoni alleges Lively began "asserting control almost immediately," specifically over her character's wardrobe.

"At one point, Lively insisted that her character 'had money' and could afford $5,000 shoes — despite being a fledgling small business owner," the lawsuit states. Lively's character Bloom was a floral shop owner.

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni legal drama Inside the claims made by 'It Ends with Us' stars

Things went sideways, Baldoni claims, when he was reprimanded by Sony Pictures for leaked paparazzi photos on the first day of filming that showcased Lively's outfits.

Justin Baldoni lawsuit includes alleged incident with Taylor Swift

A key portion of Baldoni's suit centered on the famed rooftop scene, popularized in Hoover's book, where Ryle and Lily first meet. According to Baldoni, Lively asked "if she could 'take a pass' at writing" the scene. The lawsuit claims Baldoni "felt the need" to let Lively write a version.

But Lively's take on the scene "dramatically differed from what had been written originally." Then, the suit claims Baldoni was "hesitant" about her changes and told Lively "that the scene would likely end up being somewhere between the original version and Lively’s version."

"Seemingly stung by Baldoni's exceedingly mild resistance, Lively did not respond and went silent for multiple days," the suit claims. Then, Lively brought in reinforcements: Reynolds and Lively's best friend "Taylor," a reference to pop singer Taylor Swift, who is called a "megacelebrity friend" in the lawsuit.

A source close to the situation but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed Swift's identity in Baldoni's lawsuit to USA TODAY.

The suit claims Reynolds "launched into enthusiastic praise" for his spouse's scene during a meeting. Then, as the meeting was ending, Baldoni claims "a famous, and famously close, friend of Reynolds and Lively, walked into the room and similarly began praising Lively’s script."

"They are embarrassingly effusive," Lively wrote in text messages submitted by Baldoni.

Later, Baldoni texted Lively that he liked her scene suggestions and "would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor." She responded that her husband and another unnamed person, seemingly Swift, were her "dragons" and "'Dance Moms' level stage moms." Although Swift's first name is included in Baldoni's texts, her name is redacted in Lively's.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Swift for comment.

Justin Baldoni's lawyer slams Blake Lively for trying to 'destroy' client

In a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday, Baldoni's high-powered entertainment lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed the suit.

"This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team's duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media," Freedman said.

Freedman added: "It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret."

The former co-stars, who drew buzz and controversy with their roles in the romantic drama, allege that behind the scenes, working together was anything but movie magic. Still, at the box office, "It Ends with Us" grossed $351 million worldwide for Sony Pictures.

Baldoni sued The New York Times on New Year's Eve in a $250 million lawsuit, alleging libel after the news organization published his co-star's smear campaign accusations.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Baldoni lawsuit: Director sues Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds