The 'It Ends With Us' Novel Continues With 'It Starts With Us' — What About the Movie?

Despite the controversy and criticism around the stars of It Ends With Us, the film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel by the same name, fans want to see the story continue on the big screen. And even though star Blake Lively accused her co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, the question everyone continues to ask is: will there be an It Starts With Us movie now?

It Starts With Us is the name of the novel that's a sequel to It Ends With Us. It continues to follow main character Lily Bloom as she co-parents with her now ex-husband Ryle Kincaid and tries to start a romance with her childhood love, Atlas Corrigan. Given the success of the books, it would make sense for another film to follow the first. But with the controversy and now legal troubles between two of the It Ends With Us stars, the future is questionable.

In 2019, Justin Baldoni's company Wayfarer Studios bought the rights to both It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us as film adaptations. He also directed the first movie. But with the accusations against him from Blake Lively, it's unclear how they could proceed with a second film. And even before Lively's allegations against Baldoni, he reportedly said that he didn't have plans in the pipeline for a second movie that would follow It Starts With Us.

Now, it seems even less likely that It Starts With Us could happen, given the legal turmoil and ongoing rumors of discourse on the set of the first film. It also isn't realistic to consider that Baldoni or Lively would be recast, as they are the two stars of the original film and they play the main characters in the second book too.

Even if Baldoni steps back as director and someone else is chosen to direct the sequel to It Ends With Us, there are no known plans at this time for a second movie. That doesn't necessarily mean it will never happen, especially with the success of the first film adaptation. But for now, the sequel's future is unknown.

It Starts With Us follows Lily's blossoming romance (no pun intended) with Atlas, despite her abusive ex-husband's involvement in trying to make sure that doesn't happen. The sequel also shows the dynamic between Lily and Ryle as they co-parent their 11-month-old daughter together.

There is plenty of material in the second book for a movie to bring it to life, as with the first book and movie. Unfortunately, there is no conceivable way as of now for the studio to produce It Starts With Us without recasting Lively or Baldoni, or both. And with Baldoni as the co-owner of the studio that owns the rights to the film versions of the books, things remain complicated and in limbo.