Justin Baldoni claims Ryan Reynolds used ‘Deadpool’ character to bully

On By Littum

game

The ongoing legal drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively continues and now extends to the Marvel Universe and Ryan Reynolds’ blockbuster “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

Lively’s actor husband is again embroiled in the growing legal troubles surrounding Baldoni, Lively and their 2024 romantic drama “It Ends with Us,” this time with Baldoni accusing Reynolds of mocking Baldoni through “Deadpool” character Nicepool.

Baldoni’s lawyers earlier this month sent a lawsuit letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige demanding that they preserve all communications regarding Reynolds and the “Deadpool” movie franchise pending Wayfarer Studios’ lawsuit against Reynolds and Lively, according to the letter received Wednesday by USA TODAY.

Wayfarer Studios, co-founded by Baldoni, is one of the production companies behind “It Ends with Us.” Baldoni and Wayfarer’s lawsuits will consist of claims related to “Reynolds and Lively’s tortious interference with contract and civil extortion and to the already pending dispute between Wayfarer and Lively” (Wayfarer is named in both Lively’s complaint and lawsuit against Baldoni.)

Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman is requesting that the companies retain “electronically stored information” as well as “any and all documents related to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character,” “communications related to threats and/or demands” made by Reynolds and any complaints of “sexual or other harassment” against Reynolds, according to the letter.

“When a party can reasonably anticipate litigation, the party shall suspend its routine document retention and/or destruction policy to ensure the preservation of relevant evidence,” the letter states.

USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Baldoni, Disney and Marvel for comment.

The “Deadpool & Wolverine” character Nicepool, also played by Reynolds in the superhero comedy, is an alternate universe “variant” of Deadpool who is killed in battle due to his lack of mutant abilities. As part of the terms of the waiting letter, Marvel has been advised to retain any documents “relating to or reflecting any deliberate attempt to link the character of ‘Nicepool’ to Justin Baldoni” or to “mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate or bully” the actor through the character.

Baldoni and Lively both filed lawsuits on New Year’s Eve to recover their accounts of working together: Lively’s federal lawsuit mirrors a complaint filed in California last month and outlined in a viral New York Times reportwith the title “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”

The “Gossip Girl” alum claims Baldoni engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior on and off the job and orchestrated a smear campaign against her to address his alleged behavior.

Meanwhile, Baldoni’s $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times challenged the news outlet’s reporting of Lively’s claims, claiming the publication relied on “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced ​​to mislead.”

Baldoni previously claimed Reynolds “aggressively berated” him weeks before the New York City premiere of “It Ends with Us” during a meeting at the couple’s penthouse, accusing him of “fat shaming” Lively.

Baldoni reportedly suffers from back problems and multiple bulging discs, his legal team claimed in his lawsuit. While training for an alleged scene in which his character Ryle would lift Lively’s Lily, Baldoni asked his trainer—who was introduced to him by Lively—how much she weighed to “make sure he could safely do the lift without injury.” The question got back to Lively, and she reportedly informed Reynolds of the inquiry.

Starring: KiMi Robinson, Brendan Morrow, Pamela Avila and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY