Blake Lively Screened Her 'Preferred' Cut of “It Ends With Us” for Fans Two Months Before Movie Opened (Report)

There has been a noticeable distance between Lively and director-star Justin Baldoni amid the movie's release

Blake Lively reportedly showed fans her “preferred” cut of It Ends With Us two months before the movie opened in theaters.

At the 2024 Book Bonanza festival in Grapevine, Texas on June 14, Lively, 36, and her costar Brandon Skelnar opened the keynote at the event alongside It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover.

The following evening, Lively and Hoover, 44, along with costars Isabela Ferrer and Skelnar, 34, attended a surprise screening at AMC Grapevine Mills showcasing an unfinished version of the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the version shown at the Book Bonanza screening was Lively’s “preferred rough cut” of the movie.

PEOPLE has contacted Sony, which bought rights to release the movie, for comment.

Director Justin Baldoni, who also plays Ryle Kincaid, was absent from the keynote and screening event, and now two months down the line, there have been reports of a rift between Lively and Baldoni, 40. Around the same time, Baldoni revealed he was recovering after being hospitalized with an infection for a week.

Upon the release of the film, reports of a rift between Lively and Baldoni, 40, have emerged, along with reports of Baldoni's alleged behavior on set.

Related: What Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Said About Using Intimacy Coordinators: 'Critical for Everyone's Safety'

On Aug. 8, THR reported that there "was a fracture among the filmmakers in the post-production process, wherein two different cuts of the movie emerged.” A source close to Baldoni put the discord down to "creative differences" that had been "overblown" to PEOPLE and claimed that Lively, who was also a producer on the project, "wants to direct the next movie, sidelining him and securing the rights from Colleen."

However, earlier this week, a source told PEOPLE that the issues brewing behind the scenes of the movie surpass alleged creative differences between the two.

"All is not what it seems," a set source told PEOPLE. "There is much more to this story. The principal cast and [author] Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with him [Baldoni].”

Reps for Lively and Baldoni did not respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment at the time.

Related: It Ends with Us First Reactions: Blake Lively Movie Brings 'All the Feelings' — 'I Was a Crying Mess'

There has not yet been a discussion of a second movie, a Hollywood source told PEOPLE, while Baldoni told Variety that while his production company Wayfarer Studios has the option on adapting It Starts With Us, “I haven’t even begun to think that far ahead. I’m trying to stay in the present as much as I can."

Rumors of a rift grew prior to the movie’s release amid Baldoni doing the majority of his press solo. The actor did not pose for pictures alongside the cast at the film's New York premiere on Aug. 6, while he also skipped the movie’s London premiere two days later.

Fans have also been quick to point out that Lively, Hoover and actress Jenny Slate (who plays Allysa) do not follow Baldoni back on Instagram.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Speaking at the Book Bonanza event in June, Lively praised Hoover for how meticulous she was in making sure the movie stayed true to form.

During a conversation moderated by Entertainment Tonight, Lively said, “To honor what you guys love about the story is very important to [Colleen] and, and to be true to that, we're gonna try to do it all right.”

"Thank goodness she doesn't let anything fall to the ground," Lively added.

Hoover agreed and noted at one point that, as co-executive producers, she and Lively "have to keep an eye on things. And get the details right."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer??, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Meanwhile, Sony has praised both Hoover and Lively for their work.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Chair-CEO Tony Vinciquerra told THR on Aug. 14, “Blake, Colleen and so many women put so much effort into this remarkable movie, working selflessly from the start to ensure that such an important subject matter was handled with care. Audiences love the movie.”

“Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence is commendable,” Vinciquerra continued. “We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her.”

An adaptation of Hoover’s 2016 bestselling novel, It Ends With Us stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a florist who falls in love with a neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), and a toxic and abusive relationship forms.

It Ends With Us is in theaters now.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.