Justin Baldoni faces career hurdle as he loses '3 jobs and millions of dollars' amid Blake Lively feud
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: What started as whispers of on-set tensions between 'It Ends With Us' stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has escalated into a full-fledged legal war, and insiders say Baldoni’s career is feeling the impact.
According to sources, the actor-director has seen several high-profile opportunities slip away in the wake of the lawsuits he and Lively have filed against each other over the last two months.
Justin Baldoni faces major career fallout
The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that sources close to Baldoni claimed that the actor "lost three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars" since Blake Lively’s lawsuit was filed in late December, signaling a significant professional setback.
One of the projects now hanging in the balance is Baldoni’s long-developing 'Pac-Man' movie.
In August, as rumors of a feud with Lively dominated entertainment headlines, Baldoni saw 'Pac-Man' as a way to shift the conversation.
A text he sent Baldoni's PR team on August 18 reportedly suggested that announcing his role as the film’s director would help him "move towards the future."
However, the adaptation, which has been in development since 2022, is now in doubt, alongside at least two other unnamed projects.
Although it’s possible the 'Pac-Man' project could be revived later, insiders claim that nearly every company partnering with Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, is "having a conversation" about their future involvement.
Wayfarer, co-founded by Baldoni and billionaire Steve Sarowitz, boasts a substantial financial backing at a time when indie studios are struggling.
However, given Lively’s powerful Hollywood connections — including her husband Ryan Reynolds, whom Baldoni is suing in his countersuit — there’s growing uncertainty about how much collateral damage the ongoing legal feud might cause.
Baldoni’s company moves forward with major film projects despite lawsuit fallout
Despite the turbulence, Wayfarer continues to move forward with completed projects.
The studio recently backed 'Eleanor the Great', the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson, in partnership with Tristar and Sony Pictures Classics.
It also financed 'Code 3', an action-comedy starring Rainn Wilson, which premiered at TIFF but has yet to secure a domestic distributor.
Other films in Wayfarer’s pipeline include 'The Senior,' a sports drama led by Michael Chiklis set for a March 7 theatrical release, and 'A Nice Indian Boy', a queer romance starring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff, which received strong reviews at South by Southwest and Palm Springs.
The company has also invested in outside productions, including Alcon’s 'Garfield' film, distributed by Sony, and is developing adaptations of novels such as 'Errands & Espionage' by Sam Tschida and 'The Love of My Afterlife' by Kirsty Greenwood.
However, amid the ongoing feud with Lively, no new projects have been publicly announced.
Insiders suggest that Wayfarer is looking for opportunities to prove that it remains a viable production powerhouse, despite the legal drama overshadowing Baldoni’s professional trajectory.
Judge sets trial date for 2026 Lively & Baldoni’s legal battle
The legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is progressing, with a judge now officially assigned to the case.
Judge Lewis J Liman will preside over both lawsuits filed by the two parties against each other in Federal Court in New York.
An initial hearing is scheduled for February 3, though the trial itself is still a long way off.
During the hearing, Blake’s legal team is expected to request that the judge intervene to prevent Justin’s side from escalating the public relations battle surrounding the case.
According to Variety, the judge has set the trial date for March 9, 2026, allowing ample time for both parties to build their arguments—or potentially reach a settlement that could eliminate the need for a trial altogether.
