Blake Lively's new film It Ends With Us has received a major update – with director Justin Baldoni confirming a release date.
Despite production on the film being shut down due to the ongoing Writer's Strike, Justin took to Instagram to share the news that the film would hit cinemas on February 9, 2024. "See you Feb 9th at a theater near you!" Justin shared on Instagram.
Over half of the film has been shot so far, but it looks like the team are hopeful they can return to production soon to finish the shoot. Production in New York and New Jersey was disrupted earlier in the year by WGA picketers, and an email was sent by Wayfarer and director Justin Baldoni to the crew on Thursday June 16 confirming the set was going to be shut down.
"Due to the ongoing WGA strike and the lost days we have experienced due to picketing, we must make the difficult decision to temporarily shut down production," the email read.
"We want to express our deepest gratitude for your incredible patience and unwavering dedication throughout this challenging period."
It Ends With Us is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's controversial novel. The book – which is a #1 Sunday Times bestseller and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for over 90 weeks – is loosely based on the author's mother’s own journey when Colleen was a child.
The main character, Lily (played by Blake) grew up in a toxic household but moved to Boston after graduating college. The book follows Lily as she meets a new romantic partner in Ryle Kincaid – but their relationship begins to mimic the toxic couples that Lily had watched growing up and as things get worse, her first love, Atlas Corrigan, re-enters her life.
However not everyone was happy with the casting, with many concerned about the discrepancy between the ages of the characters and the actor portraying them; Blake, 35, will play 23-year-old Lily, and Justin, 39, will play the 30-year-old neurosurgeon.
Colleen has since defended their ages, telling fans: "Back when I wrote It Ends With Us, the new adult [genre] was very popular. "You were writing college-age characters. That's what I was contracted to do. I didn't know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There's not a 20-something neurosurgeon."
Colleen noted: "As I started making this movie, I'm like, 'We need to age them out because I messed up,'" before admitting: "So that's my fault."