Blake Lively reunites with costar Anna Kendrick and director Paul Feig for the sequel to 2018’s ‘A Simple Favor’
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(742x177:744x179):format(webp)/blake-lively-sxsw-030725-5837e37c3dd94667972cc5e7b4b88adc.jpg)
Blake Lively stepped out for the world premiere of Another Simple Favor on Friday, March 7, as her legal battle with Justin Baldoni continues.
The actress, 37, walked the red carpet in Austin, Texas, as her comedic-thriller sequel opened the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival. Also in attendance were costar Anna Kendrick and director Paul Feig, both reuniting with Lively after making 2018’s A Simple Favor together.
Lively and her It Ends With Us director-costar Baldoni, 41, are currently in the middle of a highly publicized legal battle. In December, Lively sued Baldoni, accusing him and others of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign, which he denies. Baldoni countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist in January, alleging defamation and extortion.
Lively and Reynolds, 48, recently made their first joint public appearance since the lawsuits when they attended Saturday Night Live‘s star-studded SNL50: The Anniversary Special taping in New York City on Feb. 16.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2):format(webp)/RyanReynoldsandBlakeLively-SNL50-Arrivals-021625-6e24be0a26d248d7940743a2942f2081.jpg)
In Another Simple Favor, which begins streaming on Prime Video May 1, Lively’s Emily is out of prison and invites frenemy Stephanie (Kendrick) to be her maid of honor at a luxurious wedding in Capri, Italy.
“Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square,” a synopsis teases.
The cast also includes Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, Henry Golding and Allison Janney.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/blake-lively-anna-kendrick-michele-marrone-another-simple-favor-022625-939b448275c14748998a76053c50a00f.jpg)
Director Feig, 62, has come to Lively’s defense multiple times on social media since her legal battle with Baldoni began in December 2024.
“I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with,” the Bridesmaids filmmaker wrote Dec. 22.
Then in February, when an Instagram commenter questioned whether the Simple Favor sequel is “Paul Feig’s cut or Blake’s cut,” he replied: “It’s my cut. There is no other cut. Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with. She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/blake-lively-another-simple-favor-022625-d170e5604ad24bd49d870f5ec047156d.jpg)
Lively’s It Ends With Us costar Brandon Sklenar (who is working with Feig on the upcoming adaptation of The Housemaid) also has a movie premiering at SXSW, the thriller Drop with Meghann Fahy on Sunday, Feb. 9.
When he attended the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscars Party on March 2, Sklenar was asked by The Hollywood Reporter how he is supporting Lively during the legal battle and he called it a “tough situation.”
The 1923 star added of It Ends With Us, “I just hope everyone remembers what the movie is about and why we made it in the first place. It’s about love. It’s about supporting women in general and helping people through tough times.”
