Justin Baldoni Reportedly Hires PR Veteran Amid ‘It Ends With Us’ Crisis
The director and star have retained the services of Melissa Nathan, who represented Johnny Depp during Amber Heard’s trial.
Justin Baldoni has hired veteran PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan amid the release of It Ends With You , the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s hit 2016 book, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The news comes as sleuths flooded TikTok with speculation about an alleged rift between Baldoni and his cast and crew, which includes co-star and producer Blake Lively as well as Hoover. . The chatter grew when fans noticed Baldoni’s absence from joint press events at the New York premiere on August 6 and the lack of group photos of Lively and Baldoni together. Some also pointed out that neither Lively, Hoover, nor the rest of the cast follow Baldoni. on Instagram (although he does follow them).
Nathan launched The Agency Group earlier this summer after nearly a decade working for leading crisis strategist Matthew Hultzick. His New York-based outfit specializes in communications, crisis, reputation management, personal promotion and digital team services in the entertainment industry. Among the clients he joined from Hultzick Strategies was Johnny Depp, whom he represented during the Amber Heard trial.
Sources have told THR that Baldoni and Lively had a rift in the post-production phase that resulted in two different cuts of the film. According to multiple sources, Lilly began a cut of the film with editor Shane Reed, who was the editor of Deadpool and Wolverine. It was unclear if any of the cut was used in the final project, which was credited to editors Ona Flaherty and Rob Sullivan.
The hiring of the agency group comes as Baldoni has been the subject of negative headlines over allegations that he made Lively uncomfortable on set.
Throughout the promos and interviews over the past week, Baldoni has been vocal about Lively’s creative contribution to the film. The filmmaker has also said that he sometimes took a step back to allow women to take charge on set, given that the film is told from a woman’s point of view and deals with the sensitive issue of domestic violence. Focus is on.
It Ends With Us, directed by Baldoni and Jamie Heath, produced by Wayfarer Studios, was released over the weekend by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It grossed $50 million domestically and $80 million worldwide against a budget of $25 million, exceeding all exceptions. Wayfarer Studios is backed by billionaire Steve Sarowitz. Both Baldoni and Sarowitz are members of the Baha’i Faith.
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