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For over a year, Blake Lively was engaged in a legal dispute with It Ends with Us collaborator Justin Baldoni, which began when she filed a complaint against him. That legal battle was recently settled by both parties, however, and they expressed their intention to move forward. With that, there’s been speculation about what Lively’s next career moves will look like, and analysts have been weighing in on her professional prospects at this point. With that, a source just dropped some claims about Lively’s latest work aspirations.
As of this writing, Lively herself has not formally discussed any specific plans for upcoming acting gigs in the aftermath of the lawsuit settlement. Per someone who spoke to The Sun, though, the actress and her team have been putting a lot of thought into how she should proceed. The unnamed individual alleges to the news outlet that Lively is seeking to improve her image and made note of one specific kind of project she’s jumping into:
At times, when the backlash was at its worst, she felt like she was the most hated woman in Hollywood, and she desperately wants to rehab her image. She wants to get back to mass appeal romantic comedy leads she hopes will make audiences warm to her again. One of her impending movie projects, The Survival List, sees her play a TV producer who ends up stranded on a remote island with a celebrity survival expert where romance ensues.
The Survival List was announced back in late 2025, and it’s currently set up at Lionsgate, though updates on the project have been scarce since then. It’s fair to say that such a production is on brand for Lively, considering she’s headlined other romance films like The Age of Adaline and of course, It Ends with Us. However, this latest action comedy would be much lighter than those other two flicks. And that’s not all Lively is purportedly preparing project-wise.
Per The Sun’s insider, Blake Lively is also trying to spearhead a book-to-screen adaptation of The Husband’s Secret, the best-selling novel written by Liane Moriarty (of Big Little Lies fame). The source dropped further claims in regard to why that particular project would mean so much to Lively:
This has been in the works for a few years but Blake is now fully focused on it. It’s just the kind of project she wants – a relatable lead, a twisty subject matter and a powerhouse novel with a built-in fan base.
Lively herself does have fans of her own, though insiders have made claims about how the legal situation has allegedly impacted her reputation. With that, a survey was recently conducted amongst studio executives, casting directors and other industry veterans, and they shared thoughts on potential options for Lively. One producer even opined that she should “do a villain role and lean into the baggage.” However, according to the insider, Lively’s aspirations go beyond just being in front of the camera:
It’s also important for Blake to continue with her executive producing – she has done it twice before, on Another Simple Favor, and on It Ends With Us. But she was reported to be feuding with Anna Kendrick while shooting the former, and obviously we all know how the latter turned out. She wants to show that she can produce movies without all the backstage drama being the talking point and follow in the footsteps of someone like Nicole Kidman or Reese Witherspoon.
What’s worth mentioning is that like Witherspoon and Kidman, Lively has her own production company in B for Effort, and the banner co-produced It Ends with Us (which is now streamable with a Netflix subscription). So, in theory, Lively is in a position in which she can help shape her own professional destiny. However, it still remains to be seen what kind of gigs she might land after starring in The Survival List.