A Simple Favor 2 Director Addresses Rumors Film Has Been Shelved Amid Blake Lively Lawsuit

Paul Feig -- who directed the 2018 film as well as the upcoming sequel -- responded to claims the movie has been canceled "indefinitely" amid Lively's ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni and rumored "tensions" between the actress and her costar Anna Kendrick.

The director of A Simple Favor 2 is speaking out about rumors surrounding the film's release.

On Friday, Paul Feig -- who also directed the 2018 film -- shut down claims that the sequel starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick has been canceled "indefinitely amid the former's legal battle with Justin Baldoni and rumored "tensions" between Lively and Kendrick.

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"BREAKING: Amazon shelves A Simple Favor 2 indefinitely. Despite glowing test screenings, Blake Lively’s refusal to promote -- amid her messy legal battle with Justin Baldoni -- and growing tensions with Anna Kendrick have derailed the sequel," a user wrote on X, formerly, Twitter. "Anna is furious. Paul Feig is disappointed. Hollywood is in shock. This isn't just a movie -- it's an implosion."

Feig hit back at the user. Resharing their post, he wrote, "This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon."

"Don't believe anything you read on social media these days," he added.

However, the user appeared to not give up easily, asking the filmmaker, "Could you clarify why Amazon hasn't set a release date for a film that wrapped in April 2024? Why are there no promo plans yet? Saying 'coming out soon' doesn’t really address the delays or the concerns. Would love to hear more!"

According to Feig, the film is following its post production schedule.

"My friend, it's called post production, which generally takes over half a year at least when you factor in editing, scoring, special effects, sound mixing, close captioning and all the technical quality control that has to be done," he replied to the user. "Our post schedule always had us finishing everything by mid-January. Movies don't come out the second they’re finished because the studio spends the previous year deciding the best date to release it."

"We've always planned on something in the spring/summer of this year. That’s how movies work," he added. "I hope this helps."

Feig went on to share another post, sharing his excitement over the sequel.

"The movie is awesome, and Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances," he wrote alongside a post from a user who thanked him for "confirming" the rumors are false. "I can’t wait for you all to see it. Stay tuned for more details. Simple Favor 2 is coming soon!"

His post comes as Lively's legal drama with her It Ends With Us costar and director Just Baldoni rages on.

After Lively filed her legal complaint against Baldoni, in which she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, as well as claiming he and others orchestrated a smear campaign against her, Feig was one of the stars who expressed his support for Lively.

"I've now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she's one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I've ever worked with," he wrote on X. "She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this."

The Legal Battle

On December 31, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for its coverage of Lively's legal complaint. Lively later filed a federal lawsuit of her own, in which she reiterated the claims she alleged in her complaint.

In his lawsuit, Baldoni and the other plaintiffs -- including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel -- accuse the publication of libel, invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract, claiming they "deliberately" misled readers. The suit also accuses the paper of relying on Lively's "unverified and self-serving narrative," which they say is full of "blatant falsehoods and egregious misrepresentations."

In a statement to TMZ, a New York Times spokesperson said, "Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article. To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, the other subjects of the article and their representatives have not pointed to a single error. We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well. We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit."

In a statement to The New York Post, Lively's attorneys addressed Baldoni's lawsuit.

"Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively's California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today," the statement read. "This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively's administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice 'not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,' and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal.'"

"As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false," they added. "While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively's complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer's allegations in court."