Justin Baldoni Demands Disney Retain ‘Nicepool’ Docs, Says Ryan Reynolds Was Mocking Him
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has reached out to Disney, requesting that the company retain all documents pertaining to the development of the Nicepool character in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
The 40-year-old director of “It Ends With Us” claims that the character was modeled after him as a mockery, which helps prove his allegation that Blake Lively’s lawsuits against him are exaggerations.
Baldoni’s co-star, Blake Lively, filed an 80-page lawsuit against Baldoni in December, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, and attempting to “destroy” her reputation. The director responded by announcing his intention to countersue Lively, saying the actress engaged in “unethical behavior,” and intentionally misrepresented interactions to make Baldoni look guilty.
Baldoni also sued The New York Times for $250 million in a defamation claim for an article about the drama, which he says is “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions.”
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, sent a notice to Disney CEO Bob Iger, Marvel president Kevin Feige, and “Deadpool” director Tim Miller advising them that there were “anticipated claims” coming against Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, per Variety.
The execs were instructed to preserve “any and all documents relating to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character” as well as “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring ‘Nicepool.’”
The letter demanded that the studio retain “all documents relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.’”
Baldoni and his attorney claim that Reynolds was mocking Baldoni in “Deadpool & Wolverine” via the character Nicepool, a knockoff version of the film’s protagonist Deadpool. The character has a man bun, which is a hairstyle Baldoni has worn, and refers to himself as a feminist, which Baldoni has also done publicly.
Disney released “Deadpool & Wolverine” in July, during filming for “It Ends With Us.”
Some of Nicepool’s lines include, “Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!” and complimenting another character, Ladypool, for “snapping back” into shape after giving birth. Baldoni and his attorney say these are poorly veiled references to occurrences on the “It Ends With Us” set, which were mentioned in Lively’s lawsuit.
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In the end credits of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the actor who plays Nicepool is listed as “Gordon Reynolds,” the outlet noted, which is reportedly an alias for Ryan Reynolds. Lively thanked Gordon Reynolds in the end credits of “It Ends With Us.”
Reynolds is a writer, producer, and star of “Deadpool” but has never confirmed the connection between Baldoni and Nicepool. Fans have speculated that the character is based on Baldoni since the film’s release.
Freedman discussed the similarities between his client and the character during an appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show” last week. He said the inclusion of Nicepool undermined Lively and Reynold’s claims of sexual harassment.
“There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean, anybody that watched that hair bun,” Freedman told Kelly. “If somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it. It’s a serious issue,” he said.