Director of Blake Lively film A Simple Favor breaks silence on claims sequel has been shelved amid Justin Baldoni lawsuit

A Simply Favor director Paul Feig has taken to social media to urge people to call out 'total BS' following claims the sequel was 'shelved indefinitely'.

Last month, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against co-star and director of It Ends with Us Justin Baldoni accusing him of sexual harassment and of allegedly being involved in a smear campaign against her.

And amid the controversy, it would appear another film has been dragged into the mix - 2018 release A Simple Favor starring Lively and Anna Kendrick.

A Twitter user called Eric B took to the platform yesterday (January 10) claiming: "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.

"Anna is furious. Paul Feig is disappointed. Hollywood is in shock. This isn’t just a movie - it’s an implosion.

"[...] Disclaimer: This thread is based on publicly available information, insider accounts, and research. If you share or reference any part of this, please provide proper credit. Acknowledgment is appreciated and expected."

And Feig has since responded, not disappointed with any apparent shelving but more so with the rumors, tweeting: "This is total BS. Sorry.

"The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days."

Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni last month (Lionsgate)

Eric B continued: "Hi Paul, if my story is ‘false,’ 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!"

To which the director hit back: "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.

"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. I hope this helps."

Paul Feig looking at the social media user's claims (Lionsgate)

As another Twitter user resolved: "You said that with a lot more patience, grace and dignity than I would have mustered."

Indeed, back in May 2024, Feig took to Twitter to celebrate A Simple Favor reaching the top spot on Netflix alongside announcing the production had just wrapped on the sequel in Italy for Prime Video, with the sequel anticipated for release in 2025.

UNILAD has contacted representatives for Paul Feig, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick for comment.