Why the It Ends With Us adaptation starring Blake Lively is causing controversy

Trigger warning: discusses themes of domestic violence

Blake Lively's upcoming film, It Ends With Us, is already proving controversial weeks before its release in cinemas. Earlier this week, fans were given their first look at the movie via four stills, and some are unhappy with the photos in question as it's believed that they look too 'romantic' and lighthearted.

Online, people have taken issue with the photos soft and sweet appearance given the context of the novel on which the movie is based. The book It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover tells the story of a physically abusive relationship, whereby Ryle Kincaid (played by Justin Baldoni) is violent towards Lily Bloom (played by Blake Lively). However, in one of the photos that were shared, they seem to be happily singing at karaoke, and in another, they are passionately holding each other's faces.

Many took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on the selection, with one person writing: "Still insane to me that they promote this as a romance book/movie."

Another added: "This is not a love story fyi."

"I find it very odd that the book and now the movie are promoted as a romance story," said someone else.

Fans of the novel already appear to feel a disconnect between the source material and the upcoming movie, claiming that the film is being promoted as a romantic movie - which diverts from its actual subject matter. The belief is that this could be misleading and potentially harmful if people go to see it without prior knowledge of the difficult scenes and themes.

And this isn't the only reason fans of the book aren't happy about the way the film is shaping up. Many people have commented that they're not sure about the casting, either, with a large contingent saying that they pictured Abigail Cowen and Theo James as the leads instead.

This is Blake Lively's first film since 2020's The Rhythm Section, while Justin is known for Five Feet Apart and Jane The Virgin.

It Ends With Us is out in cinemas in the UK on 21 June.