It Ends With Us rocked the 2024 movie schedule in more ways than one. While it was positively received by many, it was also subject to criticism over how it marketed a film that includes themes of domestic violence and the alleged drama between its stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also directed the project). Now, Brandon Sklenar, who played Atlas, has opened up about how he addressed the rumors surrounding the film as well as if he’d be down to return to his character if the sequel – It Starts With Us – gets made.
Brandon Sklenar Wants To Make It Starts With Us
There’s a case to be made for It Starts With Us. It Ends With Us’ reviews were fairly positive, and it was a good adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel. The film also performed well at the box office. So, it wouldn’t be shocking if a sequel was greenlit. So, when asked by Access if he’d be down to play Atlas again, Sklenar didn’t even hesitate to say yes. He would love to do it, and he explained why:
Your guess is as good as mine at this point. I would love to do it, I really would, I would love to do it. I hope we can get it together, because I think the fans deserve it. And I'd just love to tell more of Atlas' story and get into his past a little more. Yeah, it would be beautiful if we could do it. I would love to.
It Starts With Us picks up right where It Ends With Us leaves off, after Atlas and Lily run into each other after she’s been separated from Ryle for a while. The book switches between their perspectives, and it shows how their relationship evolves. It also gives us a much more detailed look at Lily’s first love and his past, meaning if the film gets made, Sklenar would play a massive role in it.
However, with all the alleged drama surrounding the movie, it’s unclear if this will happen and who will return for it. Justin Baldoni has said Blake Lively should direct it instead of him. However, he also said he would work with her again “if they’d have me.” Meanwhile, at the time of this writing, Blake Lively hasn't commented on if she'd be willing to make the sequel.
So, all-around it’s hard to tell if they’d both be willing to return, and there’s still a lot we don’t know about all the rumors surrounding their supposed feud. On that note, Sklenar also addressed the drama and the statement he released about it.
Brandon Sklenar Opens Up About The Statement He Released Regarding The Alleged It Ends With Us Drama
After Brandon Sklenar said he'd be down to return as Atlas, the Access interviewer thanked him for the statement he released last month about the It Ends With Us alleged drama. In response, Sklenar reiterated the points he made in his Instagram post, saying:
I put that out, and I was like ‘We’ll see how this goes.’ I don't know. It just seems silly to me, you know? It's just kind of defeating the whole purpose of the thing to spread any negativity, you know? It's an important film for so many women and for so many survivors of domestic abuse. That's what it's all about is making people feel heard and strong and loved. So to project anything but that just seems counterintuitive. And you know, I appreciate those people that appreciated it, for sure.
The 1923 star released his statement on August 20. Over the course of the two weeks between the film's release and his post, rumors were going around about Lively and Baldoni not being seen together during promotion, Ryan Reynolds’ re-writing a key scene in the film and issues regarding editing, among many other things. Also, old interviews of Blake Lively started resurfacing as she faced online criticism for how she was promoting It Ends With Us.
Overall, Sklenar made it clear that he believed all this online chatter was not warranted and was "counterintuitive" to the film and the message it was trying to get across. At the moment, he’s the only star of It Ends With Us to directly address the alleged drama.
As we learn more about It Ends With Us, the rumored drama that surrounds it and the potential for It Starts With Us, we’ll keep you posted. However, for now, if you want to see Sklenar as Atlas, you can catch the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel in theaters now, and rest easy that if a sequel really happens, he’ll be back to play Lily’s first love.
