Blake Lively looks to get ‘revenge’ on nemesis in trailer for A Simple Favor sequel

Blake Lively is out for revenge in the new trailer for Another Simple Favor, the sequel to her 2018 film A Simple Favor.

Coming amid her legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, the trailer reveals how Blake’s character Emily Nelson walks back into Stephanie Smothers’ life (played by Anna Kendrick) and invites her to the island of Capri for a wedding.

“You think I invited you because I want revenge for stealing my life and taking my kid away from me? You think I want to make you pay?” says Emily at one point in the trailer, when Stephanie questions her reappearance.

The trailer included a montage of explosions, luxury parties in Capri and the hint at murder, as a body is seen on a stretcher.

The first film followed Stephanie, a single mother running a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a rich and secretive PR director, who suddenly disappears.

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The sequel to Blake and Anna’s 2018 film A Simple Favor will premiere on May 1

The new film is Blake’s first since she filed a lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of misconduct on the set of the film, sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign to damage her reputation.

It Ends With Us was released in August 2024 and reports of discontent among the cast and crew began to circle in the weeks before, with Justin not posing with any of the cast members at the premiere, nor taking part in any promotional material.

Blake Lively stars as Emily Nelson in A Simple Favor

Separately Blake was also criticized online for her behavior during the press tour, accused of failing to talk about the domestic violence themes of the film, and instead using the opportunity to promote her hair brand.

In late December Blake filed the first lawsuit alongside a New York Times piece which claimed Justin, his production company Wayfarer, and several publicists had taken part in a smear campaign to “destroy” Blake and her reputation.

Blake and Justin are seen on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024

An updated complaint filed earlier in February alleges that two female co-stars will also testify against Justin, and that one of the women reported “her own concerns regarding Mr. Baldoni’s unwelcome behavior” to the same Sony executive and producer to whom Blake had spoken.

In response, Justin has launched a counter lawsuit over reputational damages, and published a website containing correspondence between himself and Blake throughout the course of the production.

He has denied all the accusations, and has published text messages and material that he alleges clear his name.