Blake Lively left one of the world’s highest-grossing film composers fearing for his reputation after she brutally cut him from It Ends with Us and never even listened to his finished score, an insider has told DailyMail.com.
Acclaimed musician Brian Tyler, whose credits include a slew of Marvel blockbusters, was hired by Justin Baldoni, 41, to work on the Colleen Hoover adaptation, which is at the center of a bitter legal feud.
But he was blindsided after the actress unceremoniously dropped and swiftly replaced him with Rob Simonsen and Duncan Blickenstaff – who had worked with her husband Ryan Reynolds on Deadpool – just two months before the film was released.
Now, insiders have claimed BAFTA and Emmy Award nominee Tyler, 52, was terrified of people in the industry discovering he had been replaced and was left fearing the impact on his decades-long career.
‘When Blake took over the film, Brian had already finished a majority, if not all, the score, based on what Justin wanted creatively for the film,’ a source said.
‘Blake didn’t even listen to his score. She knew that she wanted to bring on Rob and Duncan.’
Blake Lively left one of the world’s highest-grossing film composers fearing for his reputation after she brutally cut him from It Ends with Us, an insider has told DailyMail.com
Acclaimed musician Brian Tyler, whose credits include a slew of Marvel blockbusters, was hired by Justin Baldoni to work on the Colleen Hoover adaptation
Baldoni had approached Tyler for the project having worked together on 2019’s Five Feet Apart about two young patients with cystic fibrosis, and 2020’s Clouds, which followed a young musician with terminal cancer.
Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath fought with Lively, 37, over the decision to axe Tyler, but were left with no option but to call him and break the devastating news that he was being shafted from the project.
‘Jamey and Justin fought this, obviously, but when it became clear that there was nothing they could do they called Brian and told him that he was being let go,’ the insider continued. ‘Brian was paid out his contract in full.
‘He shared his concern at the time that he did not want it to be known that he was fired. He had never been fired in his life and wanted this to be super confidential.’
He is listed as ‘uncredited’ for It Ends with Us on IMDb and his score ‘unused’.
The source insisted Tyler ‘never worked with or met Taylor swift’ despite rumors swirling that the singer told Lively she would only allow use of her song if Tyler was not involved.
Harvard-educated Tyler is among the top 10 highest-grossing film composers of all time having seen his films earn around $14.9billion.
His resume includes Marvel blockbusters Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World – as well as the Fast & Furious franchise, Crazy Rich Asians and Illumination’s highest-grossing film to date, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which broke multiple box-office records.
But he was blindsided after the actress dropped and swiftly replaced him just two months before the film was released, with Justin Baldoni (pictured) forced to break the news
‘When Blake took over the film, Brian had already finished a majority, if not all, the score, based on what Justin wanted creatively,’ a source said. ‘Blake didn’t even listen to his score’
His TV credits include the Yellowstone franchise, Magnum PI, and Hawaii Five-0 among others.
The musician, whose grandfather was Academy Award winning art director Walter H. Tyler, is also the brains behind the Formula One theme which he performed at a special event to celebrate its 75th anniversary in London this week.
Simonsen, 46, described his impromptu hire as ‘nutty’ and appeared to hint at unrest behind-the-scenes during an appearance on Score: The Podcast in September 2024, one month after the film was released.
He said he was working on Deadpool & Wolverine, which debuted in July, during the day and scrambling to work on It Ends with Us at night after Lively begged him to deliver a score in just one week.
‘I was in London finishing up [Deadpool],’ he said. ‘There was a week of recording left and I suddenly get a text from Blake and she sent a little video saying “I’m doing this thing I need a score can you deliver it in a week?” And I said “I don’t think a week but maybe three if we have three.”
‘I was able to finish up Deadpool. But I was going from the dub of Deadpool and going back to the studio at night working on Blake’s film. It was a little nutty.’
Asked if there was a composer before he signed on, Simonsen, who said it was the most ambitious ask he has ever faced, awkwardly replied: ‘Yeah, I think probably it was a scenario of a last second replacement.’
He added: ‘It worked out and Blake was very clear, and she was very fun and once we kind of hit on something we moved on. I didn’t know how it was going to go down.’
They continued: ‘He shared his concern at the time that he did not want it to be known that he was fired. He had never been fired in his life and wanted this to be super confidential’
Tyler, 52, was replaced by Rob Simonsen (pictured) and Duncan Blickenstaff weeks before the films August release date. He had previously worked with Ryan Reynolds on Deadpool
Baldoni, who had worked with Tyler on films Five Feet Apart (pictured) and Clouds, fought together with producer Jamey Heath, with Lively over the decision to axe Tyler
Baldoni would no doubt disagree with Simonsen’s description of Lively who filed a California civil rights complaint and a subsequent federal lawsuit in December, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Soon followed a 4,000-word New York Times expose based on many of her claims.
Last month, Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios hit back with a blistering countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing their team of attempting to torpedo his career and asking for $400million in damages.
The lawsuit states Lively and Reynolds used their ‘enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio’.
In his filing, Baldoni, who was dropped by his talent agency WME, addressed the replacement of an unnamed composer, claiming Lively ‘replaced the Film’s award winning composer with composers from Reynolds’ recent project – even though the Film’s composer had already finished the score, with an orchestra (which is costly)’.
He also claimed ‘Sony supported Lively’s demands and even enforced her dictate’ that he and editors ‘not be permitted even to view “her cut.”’
Lively is believed to have taken over control of the film around the time of Book Bonanza – Hoover’s annual convention hosting authors and fans from around the world – which took place in Texas in June 2024.
In a message sent to his publicist Jen Abel that month, according to the legal filing, Baldoni said: ‘She’s kicked me out officially from the film now. She’s finishing it all. I can’t be involved. Music sound VFX everything. I’ll make it through somehow.’
Lively filed a California civil rights complaint and a subsequent federal lawsuit in December, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her
In his blistering countersuit, Baldoni claimed ‘Sony supported Lively’s demands and even enforced her dictate’ (pictured on the set of It Ends with Us)
By July 2024, he alleges he was completely locked out of the film’s final cut.
Baldoni even dragged Lively’s close friend Taylor Swift into the spat, claiming in his filing that Lively attempted to intimidate him when the singer, 35, turned up at a private meeting about edits his co-star had made to a rooftop scene.
The actress later appeared to threaten Baldoni by comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi in a series of text messages, included in the lawsuit, in which she referred to Reynolds and Swift as her ‘dragons’.
Baldoni’s legal team created a website which features snippets of unedited footage from the film, including anything which ‘speaks to’ Lively’s original complaint about the actor.
His attorney Bryan Freedman publicly warned: ‘We have all the receipts – and more.’
DailyMail.com also exclusively obtained an explosive video from a dancing scene during which Lively claimed he sexually harassed her by dragging his lips down her neck and telling her ‘it smells so good’.
Lively had insisted nobody overheard the comment because the romantic montage was silent and the microphones were switched off.
But the clip reveals Baldoni’s sound equipment was switched on, pulling Lively’s recollection of events into question.
Tyler is among the top 10 highest-grossing film composers of all time having seen his films earn around $14.9 billion. He is also the brains behind the Formula One theme
Earlier this week Lively escalated the legal battle when she filed an amended complaint, claiming two actresses on set also had uncomfortable experiences with Baldoni.
Freedman described it as ‘underwhelming’ and said it was ‘filled with unsubstantial hearsay’.
A source also disputed these claims, and told DailyMail.com: ‘Blake is really clutching at straws. She was said to have these smoking guns, and she really has nothing. Her amended complaint is baseless.
All parties dispute the allegations against them.
Their feud first emerged amid swirling rumors of discord on the set of the domestic abuse drama during the promotional campaign that accompanied its release.
Lively was accused of ‘tone deaf’ marketing after using the film to promote her alcohol brand Betty Booze.
She also seemingly appeared to dismiss interview questions about domestic violence in favor of telling people to grab their ‘florals’ and head to the cinema.
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