As if Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's drama hasn't already reached a point of overwrought, now production giants Marvel and Disney also stand involved. How? Marvel president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger received a litigation hold letter from It Ends With Us director and star Justin's lawyer Bryan Freedman in the first week of January.
At the crux of this whole matter is Ryan Reynold's version of Nicepool, featured in Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine released by Disney last July. The point of offence in question has Ryan, the face of Deadpool and husband to Blake Lively, play an alt version of his superhero embodiment, called Nicepool. The long hair and man bun in congruence with lines like "Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!" and comments like applauding Ladypool for "snapping back" into shape after giving birth, have Justin's legal counsel convinced that it is a broad-form, defamatory dig at their client.
Now if you feel like that's a far reach, Ladypool was played by none other than Blake who held a cameo in the film. Another airtight giveaway of Nicepool being a Baldoni impression? The alt character saying "It’s okay, I identify as a feminist" to Deadpool pointing out the misogyny-reeking exchange of course in reference to Justin being crowned (and eventually stripped) off from his self-claimed 'feminist' tag, i.e., the Voices of Solidarity Award by Vital Voices. As for the intimacy coordinator dig, both Justin and Blake have extensively spoken of how important to the project, professionals Chelsea Cary and Lizzy Talbot were. Blake in particular, made it a point to highlight the facet of 'safety' these professionals enable, in one of her musings to Digital Spy last year: "You coordinate stunts, you coordinate dancing. It is choreography. So to be able to say 'This is what happens here, here and here' in a stunt, and 'This is what happens here, here and here' in a dance, but 'Now you guys just go put your bodies together and your mouths and whatever, and action and cut,' that's ridiculous. I think that being choreographed is critical for everyone's safety", she said.
{{/usCountry}}Now if you feel like that's a far reach, Ladypool was played by none other than Blake who held a cameo in the film. Another airtight giveaway of Nicepool being a Baldoni impression? The alt character saying "It’s okay, I identify as a feminist" to Deadpool pointing out the misogyny-reeking exchange of course in reference to Justin being crowned (and eventually stripped) off from his self-claimed 'feminist' tag, i.e., the Voices of Solidarity Award by Vital Voices. As for the intimacy coordinator dig, both Justin and Blake have extensively spoken of how important to the project, professionals Chelsea Cary and Lizzy Talbot were. Blake in particular, made it a point to highlight the facet of 'safety' these professionals enable, in one of her musings to Digital Spy last year: "You coordinate stunts, you coordinate dancing. It is choreography. So to be able to say 'This is what happens here, here and here' in a stunt, and 'This is what happens here, here and here' in a dance, but 'Now you guys just go put your bodies together and your mouths and whatever, and action and cut,' that's ridiculous. I think that being choreographed is critical for everyone's safety", she said.
{{/usCountry}}As far as the 'snapping back in shape' comment goes, a particular scene in the film required Justin to lift Blake. Justin, reportedly contending with back issues, wanted to make sure that he would be able to effectively perform the scene which prompted him to ask how much Blake, in post-partum at the time, weighed. As per Justin's eventual claims, Ryan reportedly "berated" Justin for "fat-shaming" his wife, as outlined in a New York Post piece, which is what the mentioned line is believed to hold reference to.
Coming back to the litigation hold letter, the studios have been directed to retain any and all documents relating to the development of Nicepool, with particular emphasis on "communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of (mentioned) storylines" in addition to "any and all documents relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of Nicepool".
So, justified or not, Marvel and Disney now too are key characters in the legal dumpster fire that the Blake-Justin drama is turning out to be. Who's side are you on?