Blake Lively is in the spotlight as she prepares for Another Simple Favor while handling a legal dispute with Justin Baldoni. The situation has also drawn attention to her costar, Anna Kendrick.
The sequel to the 2018 thriller A Simple Favor will premiere at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, on March 7, before streaming on Prime Video starting May 1.
When Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick shared the film’s first poster on Instagram on Feb. 4, many fans in the comments brought up Blake Lively’s legal fight with Justin Baldoni.
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Justin Baldoni directed and starred alongside her in It Ends With Us, and Blake has accused him of sexual harassment and retaliation.
Some social media users also questioned why Blake Lively’s name appeared higher than Anna Kendrick’s on the poster.
A source shared with PEOPLE that Anna Kendrick, 39, usually stays away from controversy and is not happy with the online discussions.
“She is upset about the comments, especially those from fans saying they will not watch the movie because they don’t want to support Blake Lively,” the source said.
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The two actresses play Stephanie and Emily, a pair of frenemies in the thriller series. Fans have been discussing past interviews from 2018, trying to find clues about possible tension between Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.
However, another source told PEOPLE that there is no real issue between them. “There is no drama or rift,” the source said.
An insider also mentioned that plans are being made for promoting the movie, and both Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick will be involved. The stars have not made any public comments on the matter.
During the spring of 2024, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick filmed the sequel in Italy while It Ends With Us was in post-production. The movie also stars Andrew Rannells, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, Henry Golding, and Allison Janney.
Back in October 2024, Anna Kendrick spoke to PEOPLE about working with Blake Lively again.
“She lives on the East Coast, I live on the West Coast, so we don’t see each other much. But it was lovely. These characters have a weird chemistry, and it was fun to get the gang back together,” she said.
Director Paul Feig, who returned for Another Simple Favor, has publicly supported Blake Lively. When someone commented on Instagram about the controversy, he responded, “Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with.
She is amazing, and I’m her biggest fan.” In January, he also shared a post teasing the sequel, saying, “Blake and Anna deliver incredible performances. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
