Actress Blake Lively has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of "It Ends with Us." This surprising development comes several months after the film's April release and follows speculation about tensions between the two.

On Saturday, news of Blake Lively's legal action emerged. According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, the actress has made serious accusations of sexual harassment and claims there was a deliberate attempt to damage her reputation.

Lively also alleges that Baldoni's actions have resulted in "severe emotional distress."

Following the lawsuit, Justin Baldoni was dropped by his agency WME. The agency WME also represents Lively, and due to the gravity of the allegations in her complaint, the agency believed prompt action was necessary.

According to the outlet, tensions during filming escalated to the point where separate meetings were held to address Lively's concerns. Her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, was also present at one of the meetings.

Lively stated that some of the issues raised during these discussions included prohibiting any further comments about her weight or her late father.

During the meetings, several demands were outlined, including: no more showing Blake nude videos or images of women, no further mention of Baldoni's alleged past "pornography addiction," no discussions of sexual conquests in front of Blake or others, no references to the cast and crew's genitalia, no questions about Blake's weight, and no additional remarks about her late father.

The lawsuit, as reported by TMZ, also listed demands to stop adding sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing involving Blake Lively that went beyond the script she originally approved when joining the project.

The suit further states that all of Blake's requests were accepted by Sony Pictures, the studio responsible for distributing the film.

Responding to the lawsuit, Justin Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, stated on Saturday that it was "shameful" for Blake Lively and her team to make such serious and "categorically false" allegations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives.

Freedman accused Lively of issuing multiple demands and threats, including refusing to appear on set or promote the film, which he claimed could have ultimately harmed the movie's release if her conditions were not met.

He further alleged that Lively's accusations were "deliberately salacious," aimed at damaging Baldoni's reputation and reigniting negative media attention.

Shortly after the film's release in August, co-star Brandon Sklenar hinted at rumours of tension between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in an Instagram post. 

Speculation about a falling out intensified when Lively and Baldoni did not make any joint appearances on the red carpet.

"It Ends With Us" follows Boston florist Lily Bloom, played by Lively, as she finds herself caught in a love triangle between her abusive but charismatic boyfriend, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), and her kind-hearted first love, Atlas Corrigan (Sklenar).

Read more

Tilda Swinton to receive lifetime achievement award at Berlinale

The film is adapted from Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel. Hoover, 45, has previously shared that the book was inspired by her mother's experience with domestic abuse.