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Legal Conflicts Emerge in Baldoni-Lively-Reynolds Triangle
In a significant turn of events in the ongoing legal disputes involving Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, Baldoni has accused Ryan Reynolds of purposefully crafting the character of Nicepool in the upcoming film “Deadpool & Wolverine” as a means to “mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully” him.
Reynolds is married to Lively, who has recently filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, citing sexual harassment on the set of the film “It Ends With Us.” Although Baldoni has not yet countered Lively with a lawsuit, his legal representative indicated last week that they intend to pursue extensive legal action against her.
On January 7, Baldoni formally reached out to Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger, demanding access to “any and all documents” related to the creation of the Nicepool character. He specified that he wanted “communications related to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring ‘Nicepool.’”
In this superhero installment, Reynolds portrays Nicepool, a character designed to be a stark contrast to the typically sardonic Deadpool. Notably, Nicepool offers a compliment to Ladypool, played by Lively, for her quick recovery following childbirth. This subplot has raised eyebrows in light of Lively’s claims that Baldoni fat-shamed her during the film’s production, which occurred shortly after her delivery.
The character of Nicepool goes beyond mere politeness; in one scene, he humorously requests an intimacy coordinator. Lively, however, has accused Baldoni, who also directed “It Ends With Us,” of inserting inappropriate and unnecessary sexual content and nudity into the film.
Amidst these personal and professional tensions, Baldoni has initiated a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, provoked by a December 21 article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.” The article discusses an alleged effort to damage Lively’s reputation following her accusations against Baldoni.
Disney’s acquisition of the Deadpool franchise, along with the X-Men series after purchasing 20th Century Fox in 2019, places it at the center of this creative and legal controversy.
Variety was the first to report on these contentious developments.
Source
www.thewrap.com