'It Ends With Us' first look images: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni promise an intense romance drama

The first look images from 'It Ends With Us' are finally here. Starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the film is based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel of the same name. Offering a seamless blend of romance and drama, the film delves deep into the themes of heartbreak, complex characters, and twisted love. In the first look shared by the makers, Blake (Lily) appears to be hopelessly in love with Justin's Ryle, unaware of the storm that's about to unfold. Scroll ahead to learn more details about the film.

'It Ends With Us' first look images

Despite the multiple delays and backlash against the project, 'It Ends With Us' is still on the cards. Recently, Sony Pictures dropped the first set of pictures from the film, offering a fresh glimpse into Blake Lively's character, Lily, as she shares the screen with Justin Baldoni and Brandon Sklenar. In one of the pictures, Blake and Justin are lost in each other's eyes. In another set of behind-the-scenes pictures, Justin can be seen sitting on the director's chair. For the uninitiated, the film adaptation is the brainchild of Justin. He was the first to suggest a book-to-movie adaptation and also serves as the director and executive producer of the film.

Collen Hoover on the film adaptation

While the film's core will be the story of Lily and Ryle, just like the book, it makes several changes, most notably to the characters' ages'. Author Colleen Hoover acknowledged the differences between her original portrayal of the characters and real-world vocations and explained her decision to age the characters.

"Back when I wrote It Ends With Us, the new adult genre was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That's what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn't know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There's not a 20-something neurosurgeon. As I started making this movie, I was like, We need to age them out because I messed up. So that's my fault," she told Collider.

'It Ends With Us' release date!

The film is slated to hit theatres on August 9. Given Sony's streaming contract with Netflix, 'It Ends With Us' is also expected to stream on the OTT giant by the end of 2024. However, the makers have yet to share an official statement.

Controversy surrounding the film

The first look at the movie comes nearly a year after the paparazzi shots first went viral, making headlines for everything from the casting choices to Blake's alleged shabby wardrobe. The backlash against the costume went viral to the point where Colleen Hoover had to defend her stance. "I don't remember describing outfits at all," Colleen told Today's Jenna Bush Hager in June 2023. "I don't care what they have on. In my head, it's about the conversation they're having and the story. It's the same way in the movie."

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