Blake Lively’s feud with her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, has led to the resurfacing of several controversies from her past, placing the actress under constant public scrutiny. Among these resurfaced issues are also the reported behind-the-scenes tensions from the production of her 2020 flop, The Rhythm Section.
Directed by Reed Morano and produced by renowned James Bond producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the action thriller was a massive flop. And reports of conflict between Lively and the producers over the film’s creative direction seem to echo Baldoni’s alleged claims that the actress attempted to take control of his It Ends With Us adaptation.
The production woes, creative clashes, and box office disaster of Blake Lively’s The Rhythm Section
Based on Mark Burnell’s novel of the same name, The Rhythm Section follows Blake Lively as Stephanie Patrick, a woman seeking revenge on terrorists responsible for the plane crash that killed her family.
Reed Morano’s action thriller generated buzz as a potential introduction of a ‘female James Bond,’ especially given the involvement of Eon Productions’ Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
However, the film failed to gain traction and received an overwhelmingly poor reception, making history by having the lowest opening weekend box office for a film released in over 3,000 theaters.
Its production was reportedly troubled from the beginning. Issues ranged from complex financing to problems in Burnell’s screenplay, and the issues reportedly persisted throughout filming.
In 2017, Lively injured her hand while performing a stunt (Deadline), leading to a six-month production halt, an unusually long delay that has since raised eyebrows. Additionally, reports suggest behind-the-scenes tensions between Morano, Lively, and Eon Productions regarding the film’s creative direction.
Blake Lively and producers reportedly clashed over the final cut of The Rhythm Section
The massive failure of The Rhythm Section, despite having bankable stars like Blake Lively and Jude Law, sparked widespread discussion. Amid the film’s lackluster reception, Deadline reported that tensions arose over the movie’s final cut.
Lively, Morano, and the producers of the film reportedly clashed over the creative decisions before Eon Productions ultimately took control of the final edit.
The director of It Ends With Us has also made similar allegations against the former Gossip Girl alum in his $400 million lawsuit, alleging that the actress attempted to take over the production of the film.
Lively also reportedly had her own version of It Ends With Us that Sony eventually released in theatres, earning her a producer credit on the movie (People).
However, it is worth noting that the actress was not officially a producer on The Rhythm Section, making it unlikely that she had a say in the final cut. It has also raised speculation about a recurring pattern in her involvement behind the scenes.
A resurfaced Forbes interview further fuels this speculation, where Lively admitted to going beyond her acting role on projects despite having no predetermined authority to do so.
Blake Lively revealed how she landed the role in The Rhythm Section
Blake Lively’s past statements continue to resurface, including remarks from an interview during the promotion of The Rhythm Section, where she recounted how she and director Reed Morano became involved in the movie.
“The way it came about is I was stalking Reed Morano, our director, and I was actually trying to get her to another film of mine,” she revealed in an interview.
Initially, Lively was pursuing Morano for a different film, but during a late-night meeting, they ended up bonding over The Rhythm Section, a script Lively was passionate about but wasn’t officially attached to at the time.
A Simple Favor star revealed that despite not knowing the script’s exact title, she tracked it down and “begged” producer Barbara Broccoli to meet with her.
And I called Reed, and I was like, “Listen, I know you’re doing another movie, and I’m supposed to be doing another movie. Let’s be honest—neither one of us wants to be in those relationships. So let’s do this movie instead.
Lively recounted meeting the renowned producer and revealed that both she and Morano were hired, saying that Broccoli “fell for it.” However, despite their enthusiasm, the film failed commercially and critically.
Now, with the ongoing legal battle between Baldoni and Lively, her 2020 flop The Rhythm Section is now being seen as an early warning sign of the actress’ alleged pattern of creative interferences.
The Rhythm Section is available to watch on Prime Video.
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