Justin Baldoni's Pac-Man Movie Faces Trouble In Light Of It Ends With Us Legal Drama

Justin Baldoni’s planned Pac-Man movie is in serious trouble due to the ongoing legal battle between the actor-director and his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively. Baldoni directed and starred opposite Lively in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel. The movie was a box-office success, grossing more than $350 million against a budget of $25 million. However, the production and post-production process was plagued by friction between its two stars, which spilled over when Lively sued Baldoni for Sєxual harᴀssment and intimidation. Since then, he countersued for defamation and civil extortion.

All of this has led to difficulties for Baldoni moving forward with projects, and the fate of his planned Pac-Man movie is set to be in trouble. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios have been trying to get the movie made since 2022, but the project could fall through now. He and Wayfarer have been dropped by WME, which the studio relied on to help package projects and find third-party films to finance. This has put the status of Pac-Man up in the air, and Baldoni claims to have lost hundreds of millions of dollars as a result.

What This Means For The Future Of Pac-Man & Other Baldoni Projects

It Could Be A Tough Time Professionally For The Actor Until The Lawsuit Settles

Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) and Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) tenderly holding each other's faces in It Ends With Us

Baldoni claims to have lost several projects, including Pac-Man, in the wake of Lively’s lawsuit, but it is unclear just how many have fallen through, and which ones they were. While the report suggests that a Pac-Man movie could still happen once the lawsuit is settled, it’s also unclear how much the situation would damage the studio’s reputation. According to the outlet’s insider, partners are conversing about their business relationship with the studio. With this evaluation, the studio is at risk of losing financial partners if the lawsuit doesn’t reach an adequate verdict for Baldoni.

As of right now, the studio does have a few projects lined up, including Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut Eleanor the Great. The sports drama The Senior is set to release on March 7, while A Nice Indian Boy doesn’t have a distributor. However, the LGBTQ+ movie has received solid reviews after it was shown at South by Southwest last year. Baldoni and his studio also have the rights to several novels, including the sequel book It Starts with Us. However, Wayfarer Studios has not continued with other deals or movies since the lawsuit was initiated.

Our Verdict On Pac-Man & Baldoni’s Future

Much Will Depend On The Outcome Of The Lawsuit

Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) on a rooftop in It Ends With Us

Things don’t look promising for the immediate future, and Baldoni and Wayfarer could potentially lose every project currently in the pipeline. If Lively’s lawsuit is found to be accurate, that could spell the end for Baldoni’s Hollywood career, and even if nothing is proven, it could be a long road back for the Jane the Virgin star. A Pac-Man movie involving Baldoni could happen at some point in the future, once the lawsuits are resolved, but it feels like this could be a long way off right now.

Source: THR