The legal war between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has a new milestone, and it's the one Hollywood has been dreading: an actual trial date.
A federal judge in New York has set the case to go before a jury in March 2026, meaning the messy aftermath of "It Ends With Us" will hang over awards season, press tours, and at least one more year of group chats.
For anyone who lost the thread: Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment on set and a coordinated smear campaign against her.
Baldoni fired back with a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, accusing them of hijacking the film and torching his reputation.
What makes this unusual is the paper trail.
The case has already produced a flood of text messages, emails, and alleged crisis-PR strategy documents that fans have been dissecting like episode recaps.
Lively's team points to messages they say show a deliberate plan to bury her in negative press.
Baldoni's team argues the whole thing was a calculated power play by a Hollywood power couple.
Every filing seems to spawn a new viral screenshot.
The trial date also drags a long list of names back into the spotlight.
Reynolds, who has mostly stayed quiet in public, remains a defendant.
Baldoni's studio, Wayfarer, is still attached to the fight.
Industry insiders say the discovery phase alone could surface more behind-the-scenes drama than the movie's actual runtime — and the movie was two hours long.
Baldoni has kept a lower profile since the suits were filed, while Lively has continued promoting other projects and Reynolds has pressed ahead with his usual slate.
Neither side shows any appetite for settling, which is why court watchers are calling this one of the few celebrity disputes in recent memory that genuinely seems headed to trial rather than a quiet, sealed resolution.
For fans, the takeaway is simple: this story is not going away in 2025.
Expect more filings, more leaked messages, and more dueling statements timed for maximum impact.
The March 2026 date gives both camps plenty of runway to shape public opinion before a jury ever hears a word.
Our take: celebrity lawsuits usually end in a handshake and a nondisclosure agreement, and the fact that this one hasn't is the real story.
Someone here believes they can win in front of twelve strangers — or at least believes the fight itself is worth the cost.
Final Thoughts
Either way, Hollywood's messiest feud just became a countdown.