Blake Lively’s name has appeared in headlines more often than it has appeared on movie screens recently, but she’ll be a big part of the upcoming romantic comedy The Survival List.
Lionsgate confirmed to Entertainment Weekly on Thursday that it acquired the script that Lively will star in and produce.
Nicole Rivelli
“Against her wishes, highbrow reality TV producer Annie is assigned to a new show hosted by famous survival expert Chopper Lane,” the studio’s official description reads. “However, when a shipwreck strands them on a deserted island, Annie discovers Chopper is a fraud and knows nothing about survival, leaving her in charge of figuring out how to keep them alive. Forced to work together, they begin to discover an unlikely chemistry.”
In December, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alum filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Justin Baldoni, her director and costar in the romantic drama based on the book of the same name by Colleen Hoover. She alleged that Baldoni had sexually harassed her during the making of the movie and organized a public relations smear campaign against her during the promotion of it.
At the time, a lawyer for Baldoni told Entertainment Weekly, “These claims are completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
Lively then filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his studio Wayfarer, and his publicists; meanwhile, he countersued and took legal action against the New York Times for having published a story investigating his PR team and supporting Lively’s assertion that there had been a smear campaign against her.
The legal actions have just kept on coming, and his lawsuit has since been thrown out.
The former costars are next scheduled to appear in court on March 6.
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Since her legal issues with Baldoni began, Lively starred in May’s Another Simple Favor, a sequel to her 2018 mystery, also from Lionsgate.
She made her first talk show appearance since the legal feud began in May on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
“I see so many women around afraid to speak, especially now, afraid to share their experience,” Lively told Meyers. “And fear is by design — it’s what keeps us silent. But I also acknowledge that many people don’t have the opportunity to speak, so I do feel fortunate that I have been able to.”
