Blake & Ryan’s Step-By-Step Strategy to Steal Movies

A new video essay from the YouTube channel “Bopping” is making waves online, arguing that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds orchestrated a strategic “hijacking” of the upcoming film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us.” The Bopping analysis claims this wasn’t a spontaneous move but a carefully planned operation, mirroring Reynolds’s own tactics in gaining control over the “Deadpool” franchise.

Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Alleged Strategy (Per Bopping):

The Bopping video breaks down the alleged plan into several key steps:

1. Start Small and Be Underpaid: According to Bopping, Lively intentionally accepted a lower salary ($3 million) for her role as Lily Bloom, while securing an executive producer credit. This mirrors Reynolds’s initial approach with “Deadpool,” where he reportedly took a pay cut to demonstrate commitment to the project. The lower budget of “It Ends With Us” (reportedly $25 million, self-funded by Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios, with Sony as co-distributor) allegedly made it easier for Lively to exert influence.

1. Wait Until 50% of the Budget is Spent: Bopping’s analysis suggests Lively waited until a significant portion of the budget was used, including funds allocated to her character’s wardrobe. She then allegedly demanded changes to the wardrobe, causing budget overruns and tension with Baldoni, who had been developing his vision for the film for five years. Bopping posits that Baldoni couldn’t risk firing Lively at this stage, as the project was heavily reliant on her involvement.
2. Take Over the Script and Leverage “Dragons”: The Bopping video claims Lively enlisted Reynolds to rewrite dialogue and scripts without consulting Baldoni or the screenwriter. The video references a text message where Lively calls Reynolds and Taylor Swift her “dragons,” implying they wielded significant influence. The analysis details an incident where Lively invited Baldoni to her home, where Reynolds and Swift allegedly pressured him to accept script changes.
3. Exploit the Writer’s Strike: The production halt due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes provided Lively with an opportunity to renegotiate her contract, allegedly presenting a list of 17 non-negotiable demands, including increased creative control. Bopping argues Baldoni was in a vulnerable position due to budget constraints and the importance of Lively’s participation for Sony.
4. Infiltrate the Editing and Extend the Access: According to Bopping, after filming, Lively allegedly gained access to the editing bay during Baldoni’s protected director’s cut period. The video claims she extended her access to 10 days, replaced original editors with her own hires (including someone who worked with Reynolds on “Deadpool”), and even influenced the firing of the original composer due to Taylor Swift’s alleged personal issues with him. The video further states Lively’s cut was then forced to compete with the director’s cut.

1. Threatening to Not Promote: The video claims that Blake threatened to leave the project, take the book’s author with her, and make zero marketing appearances if her cut wasn’t picked.
2. Steal Producer Credit: The final goal, according to the Bopping video, was for Lively to secure a formal producer credit, transforming her career and allowing her to negotiate higher salaries and backend deals in future projects. The analysis suggests Lively met the criteria for a PGA mark by influencing the story, hiring key personnel, supervising post-production, and contributing to the music and marketing.

The Ultimate Goal: A Colleen Hoover Empire? (Bopping’s Theory)

The Bopping video concludes by suggesting that Lively and Reynolds’s ultimate goal is to secure the rights to all of Colleen Hoover’s books and build an exclusive film franchise.

It’s important to note that these are just claims made in a YouTube analysis by “Bopping.” There has been no official confirmation on any of these points.

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the claims and information presented in the provided YouTube transcript from the “Bopping” channel. It does not represent verified facts or the views of this writer.

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