After years of development, the pieces for the movie finally come together. Sony boards to distribute and co-finance, while Lively is cast as Lily. She and Baldoni work on building rapport ahead of filming via long text messages and conversations. However, creative tension builds early on.
According to Baldoni’s complaint, Lively suggests script changes for a rooftop scene at the beginning of the film, and invites her director to her New York City residence on April 12, 2023, to discuss.
Baldoni is surprised to encounter Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift, with the two megastars praising the actress’ version of the scene. The filmmaker feels pressured to accept the changes, according to his lawsuit, and texts Lively afterwards that he didn’t need the duo to weigh in, as he likes her take on the scene.
On April 14, Lively texts Baldoni that Reynolds and Swift are her “dragons,” referencing the Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen. “If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you’ll appreciate that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons,” the text reads. “For better or worse, but usually better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for.”
The back-and-forth over the scene rewrite also lead Baldoni to send Lively a six-minute-plus voice message at 2 a.m. to apologize for anything he did to upset her. At the end of the recording, Baldoni says, “You probably have kids all over you and a baby on your boob, and you’re listening to me ramble at 2 in the morning.”