Justin Baldoni is facing new scrutiny after newly revealed emails revealed harsh criticism from a Sony Pictures marketing executive for comments he allegedly made while promoting. Finish with us.
The messages, now public as part of Blake Lively’s ongoing legal battle with Baldoni, show an internal frustration with how the film was being discussed in the press.
An email dated August 5, 2024 and attributed to Danni Maggin, senior marketing executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment, took direct aim at Baldoni’s comments during an interview.
In the message, Maggin wrote: “…Justin basically refers to ‘[assualting]’Atlas leaves Lily when she talks to him Dallas Morning News. “We cut the tape but he’s an idiot.”
The email has been revealed in court documents related to Lively’s lawsuit.
Maggin’s message also appeared to reference Josh Greenstein, who was then president of Sony Pictures’ Motion Group, suggesting that concerns were growing internally.
According to the email, Greenstein allegedly felt that Baldoni “shouldn’t do any more press, but he has a lot left, so maybe we can talk as soon as possible.”
The controversy centers on Baldoni’s description of a key scene in the film, in which his character Ryle attacks Lily, played by Lively.
Maggin cited Baldoni’s alleged explanation of the interview, where he said, “To me, that scene was more about Ryle feeling like he had lost all power and feeling so insecure and jealous that the only way in his mind to be able to show her how much he loved her was um and I won’t say the word we used to develop it, but it was essentially forcing out whatever love she had for Atlas.”
He allegedly continued, “So Ryle’s motivation, if you’re talking about the character’s motivation, or why he did what he did, from a film perspective and from an actor’s perspective, was that he was trying, in his twisted mind, to love… Atlas outside of it. There’s another word we used and I’m sure in your imagination you can go there.”
Behind the scenes, the emails point to tension over how Finish with us must be marketed.
Sony’s promotional strategy, which was included in Lively’s lawsuit, instructed cast members to avoid making the film sound “sad or heavy,” instead framing it as “a story of hope.”
The team specifically asked the cast to focus on Lily’s strength and resilience rather than emphasizing domestic violence.
Lively’s lawyers argue that Baldoni ignored this approach.
In their lawsuit, they state: “In the days leading up to the film’s release, Mr. Baldoni abruptly departed from the film’s marketing plan and the types of publicity activities in which he had previously engaged.”
Baldoni has rejected that claim.
His legal team, in a countersuit that was later dismissed, said the strategy described by Lively “was never the plan that Baldoni ‘agreed upon.'”
They claimed that Baldoni had always intended to openly address domestic violence, adding that he “did not go rogue, as Lively alleges,” and that he resisted pressure from the distributor to soften the message.
The open records also revealed blunt and profane language used internally at Sony about Lively herself.
Andrea Giannetti, senior executive vice president of production and creative at Sony Pictures, acknowledged during a deposition that she referred to Lively as a “fucking terrorist” in a message to Wayfarer Studios producer Jamey Heath.
This allegedly happened after Lively threatened to leave the film unless her “17-point list of demands” was met.
Additional messages from March 2024 show Sanford Panitch, president of Sony’s Motion Picture Group, writing “she is a terrorist.” [sic]” while discussing Lively’s involvement in her own edit of the film.
Following the film’s release in August 2024, Panitch also criticized the timing of the launch of Lively’s hair care brand, calling it “epic-level stupid” and adding, “She didn’t want to listen. She knows better.”
A source later said PEOPLE that the release had been scheduled with Target months before and could not be changed, and that the movie’s release date was what changed.
Despite private criticism, Sony publicly supported Lively. On August 14, Tony Vinciquerra, then chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said in a statement: “Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation about domestic violence is commendable. We love working with Blake and want to make 12 more films with her.”
Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni has denied the allegations. The case is currently scheduled to go to trial in May 2026.
