Justin Baldoni has initiated a $400 million lawsuit against his co-star from “It Ends with Us,” Blake Lively.

In the federal case submitted on Thursday in New York’s Southern District, Baldoni’s legal team charges Lively and her renowned actor husband Ryan Reynolds with defamation and extortion.

In their complaint, Baldoni’s attorneys assert that Lively “leaves them no choice but to clarify the situation in response to her claims and to highlight the aspects of Hollywood that they strive to oppose throughout their careers.”

Baldoni has established himself as a vocal critic of toxic masculinity, which he believes contributed to the #MeToo movement. He was accused of sexual harassment by Lively in a lawsuit from late last year.

YSL News has reached out for a response from Lively’s representatives.

The lawsuit criticizes Lively’s alleged behavior on set. Baldoni’s lawyers claim his company, Wayfarer Studios, selected the “Gossip Girl” star for the role of Lily Bloom, despite being warned that Lively was known for being challenging to work with.

Initially, the suit suggests, the two communicated almost every day and shared a “comfortable dynamic” with “playful exchanges.” However, it states that during the film’s pre-production, Lively began “exerting control right away,” especially regarding her character’s clothing.

“At one point, Lively demanded that her character ‘had money’ and could afford shoes worth $5,000—despite being a new small business owner,” the lawsuit claims. Lively’s character, Bloom, runs a floral shop.

“It Ends with Us,” adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, tells the story of florist Lily Blossom Bloom (played by Lively), who falls deeply in love with a seemingly perfect neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid (portrayed by Baldoni), while also reconnecting with her childhood sweetheart, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). The film addresses serious themes of domestic abuse beneath its romantic surface.

Baldoni’s prominent entertainment attorney, Bryan Freedman, released a statement concerning the lawsuit to YSL News on Thursday.

“This legal action is backed by a significant amount of unaltered evidence that shows how Blake Lively and her team have attempted to undermine Justin Baldoni, his associates, and their companies by sharing heavily edited and unfounded allegations with the media,” Freedman shared in the statement.

Freedman continued: “We are prepared to present all complete messages, emails, video evidence, and other materials exchanged during the collaboration, underscoring that this is a fight she is unlikely to win and will surely regret.”

The former co-stars, who attracted attention and sparked debate through their performances in “It Ends with Us,” claim that their time working together was significantly less glamorous than portrayed. Nevertheless, the film adaptation based on Colleen Hoover’s novel has achieved significant commercial success, raking in $351 million globally for Sony Pictures.

Baldoni had also previously filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging libel following the publication of his co-star’s damaging claims on New Year’s Eve.

This story is still developing.

Contributing: Edward Segarra