The ongoing legal drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively continues, now extending to the Marvel universe and Ryan Reynolds’ box-office hit “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Lively’s actor husband is again being swept up in the mounting legal issues surrounding Baldoni, Lively and their 2024 romantic drama “It Ends with Us,” this time with Baldoni accusing Reynolds of mocking him through the “Deadpool” character Nicepool.
Baldoni’s lawyers sent a litigation hold letter earlier this month to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige demanding they preserve all communications regarding Reynolds and the “Deadpool” movie franchise, in anticipation of Wayfarer Studios’ legal action against Reynolds and Lively, according to the letter obtained Wednesday by USA TODAY.
Wayfarer Studios, co-founded by Baldoni, is one of the production companies behind “It Ends with Us.” Baldoni and Wayfarer’s litigation will consist of claims relating to “Reynolds and Lively’s tortious interference with contract and civil extortion and to the already-pending dispute between Wayfarer and Lively” (Wayfarer is named in both Lively’s complaint and lawsuit against Baldoni.)
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman requests that the companies keep “electronically stored information” as well as “any and all documents relating to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character,” “communications relating to threats and/or demands” made by Reynolds and any complaints of “sexual or other harassment” made against Reynolds, per the letter.
“Once a party can reasonably anticipate litigation, the party must suspend its routine document retention and/or destruction policy to ensure the preservation of relevant evidence,” the letter states.
USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Baldoni, Disney and Marvel for comment.
The “Deadpool & Wolverine” character Nicepool, also played by Reynolds in the superhero comedy, is an alternate universe “variant” of Deadpool who is killed in battle due to his lack of mutant abilities. As part of the hold letter’s terms, Marvel has been advised to preserve all documents “relating to or reflecting any deliberate attempt to link the character of ‘Nicepool’ to Justin Baldoni” or to “mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully” the actor through the character.
