‘A Simple Favor 2’ Blake Lively Rumor Is ‘Total BS,’ Director Paul Feig Says
“A Simple Favor 2” is moving full-speed ahead toward its release this year, despite a viral post on X that claimed the sequel had been “shelved indefinitely” due to star Blake Lively’s “refusal to promote.” The rumor was debunked not just by Amazon MGM, who told TheWrap there was no truth to it, but also the film’s director Paul Feig who shot it down directly on X.
“This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days,” Feig said while quote-tweeting the initial rumor from a verified X user.
The original post spread broadly online Friday, speaking to the new way news cycles on social media: many are now getting their news directly from social media accounts and posts, regardless of the veracity of the source or, in some cases, complete lack of one.
The untitled “Simple Favor” sequel is a follow-up to the 2018 film starring Anna Kendrick as a mother who went deep into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her neighbor, played by Lively. Both Kendrick and Lively are back for the sequel alongside Feig, and while plot details are under wraps, the film was shot in Capri, Italy last year.
Lively is, of course, in the midst of a very public battle with her “It Ends With Us” co-star/co-writer/director/producer Justin Baldoni, whom she sued on New Year’s Eve for sexual harassment, an “unconscionable” smear campaign against the actress and breach of contract following a Jan. 4, 2024 meeting where the actor and co-plaintiffs agreed to cease “harassing behavior and other disturbing conduct.”
The suit further claims causes of retaliation, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, intentional and negligence infliction of emotional distress and false light invasion of privacy, and followed an explosive expose in the New York Times that alleged a smear campaign coordinated by Baldoni and his publicists.
Baldoni, in response, has sued the New York Times for $250 million over its “defamatory” reporting.
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