Baldoni has now called on Disney and Marvel to preserve all documents related to the actor’s film “Deadpool & Wolverine,” in which he suspects a character was used to mock him.
This comes after Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, alleging he created a toxic work environment during the filming of their movie, “It Ends With Us.”
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Justin Baldoni Gears Up To Sue Ryan Reynolds
Baldoni’s latest move implies that he’s going all out in his legal battle against Lively, his “It Ends With Us” costar.
According to Variety, the actor has dragged Marvel president Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and director Tim Miller into his ongoing feud with Lively as he prepares to target her husband Reynolds for the way he allegedly mocked him with the Nicepool character in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, sent a litigation hold letter to Feige and Iger on January 7 concerning his client’s “anticipated claims” against Reynolds, Lively, and other unnamed parties.
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The letter demanded that the studio executives keep “any and all documents relating to the development of the Nicepool character” and “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring Nicepool.”
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The Actor Believes Ryan Reynolds Mocked Him In ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Baldoni claims that Reynolds used his creative control in the movie to denigrate him due to his feud with his wife.
In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which was released in July and also features Hugh Jackman, Reynolds plays the Nicepool character, an alternate version of Deadpool.
In the film, Nicepool used lines such as “Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!” and complimenting Ladypool, played by Lively, for “snapping back” into shape after giving birth.
In another instance, when Deadpool pointed out Nicepool’s misogyny, he replied, “It’s okay, I identify as a feminist.”
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The lines have seemingly led fans to believe that the Nicepool character was a jab at Baldoni, especially as the remarks used by the character closely resemble Lively’s allegations in her sexual harassment lawsuit against him.
Baldoni’s letter also calls for the studio to retain “any and all documents relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.'”
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Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Believes Ryan Reynolds Mocked His Client
In a January 7 appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” Freedman weighed in on the Nicepool character as he questioned why Reynolds would make a comedic twist of his wife’s sexual harassment claims.
“What Ryan Reynolds has seemingly done is use his power and influence … on Deadpool and to make fun of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman said, per the Daily Mail.
On the show, Kelly played a clip of the Nicepool character wearing a bun that Baldoni has used in the past. The dialogue in the clip seemingly referenced the “Clouds” actor’s affinity for social activism and Lively’s Ladypool character and her pregnancy, prompting Kelly to ask Freedman what he thought of it.
He said, “What I make of that is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni; you don’t make fun of the situation – you take it very seriously.”
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The Lawyer Says Ryan Reynolds’s Actions Undermine Credibility Of Blake Lively’s Lawsuit
Freedman went on to suggest that the way Reynolds addressed the matter undercuts the credibility of his wife’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni.
“What you don’t do is mock the person and turn it into a joke,” Freedman explained, adding that the proper way Reynolds should have addressed the situation would be to “file HR complaints [and] raise the issue and follow a legal process.”
He continued, “If someone is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it – it’s a serious issue.”
“There’s no question it relates to Justin,” Freedman said of Nicepool’s similarity to Baldoni. “I mean anybody that can watch that – the hair bun, you know, the comment about the pregnancy – it’s pretty obvious what’s being done.”
Blake Lively’s Allegations Against Justin Baldoni
Lively filed a 10-claim complaint against Baldoni, alleging that he sexually harassed her on the set of the Colleen Hoover novel adaptation, as well as also mastermind a “coordinated effort to destroy her reputation.”
According to People Magazine, The “Gossip Girl” star alleged that Baldoni “often” referred to women in the workplace as “sexy” and narrated a particular incident where he “pressured” her to remove her coat to reveal her onesie even as it was partially unzipped and showing her bra.
Lively also claimed that Baldoni made inappropriate remarks about cast members, entered her trailer while she was in a state of undress, and would sometimes talk about his past addiction to “pornography.”
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Meanwhile, Baldoni has denied the claims, with his lawyer branding Lively’s filing an attempt on her part to “fix her negative reputation,” adding that the claims are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”