Blake Lively’s Unsigned ‘IEWU’ Contract Reveals Mouthwatering Bonuses Linked To Oscar Win

Blake Lively^[1]‘s proposed contract for “It Ends With Us” was unsealed this week, revealing that the actress was in for several mouth-watering bonuses should the film gain specific awards and Box office milestones.

The “Gossip Girl” star has been locked in a legal battle with her costar and director Justin Baldoni, after she filed a lawsuit alleging he sexually harassed her on the set of the movie, which he denies.

The legal showdown managed to strain ties between Blake Lively and her longtime BFF Taylor Swift; however, a source shared that they’ve now “reconnected.”

Details of a proposed contract for Blake Lively’s role as Lily Bloom in “It Ends with Us” were unsealed this week, revealing a lucrative bonus structure tied to major awards and box office performance.

The unsigned contract draft, which was dated May 5, 2023, was filed in the Southern District of New York as part of her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni and showed that she was to be paid $1.75 million in “fixed” compensation and 10% of the film’s gross proceeds, per the Daily^[2]Mail^[3].

The document indicated that she was on track to earn six figures if her performance in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel met a specific benchmark.

The 38-year-old actress would have received a $100,000 bonus for an Academy Award nomination for her performance, and a total of $200,000 if she were to win the coveted Oscar.

Lively’s proposed contract also showed that she was incentivized with a $75,000 bonus for a Golden Globe nomination and $100,000 for a win, as well as $50,000 for a SAG Award nomination and $75,000 for a win. However, she wasn’t nominated for any awards.

Beyond the awards, Lively was also set to receive substantial payouts should the film reach major box office milestones, including a $250,000 bonus if its gross revenue exceeded three times the “direct cost” of the film, as well as another bonus when it crossed the 4th and 5th milestones.

The mother of four also had the luxury of choosing a driver who’d take her to and from work, and the exclusive use of a single pop-out, star trailer in New Jersey.

She literally had nothing to worry about, as she was also offered $1,500 in assistant fees and a $1,000-per-week stipend for training and meals during filming in the greater New York City and New Jersey area.

Lively was also afforded the option of flying her four children, two nannies, her assistant, and her security team by private jet for filming days in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, the proposed contract seemingly stipulated that Blake Lively shouldn’t have taken her legal fight with Justin Baldoni to court, as it contained a clause mandating that aggrieved parties file their concerns before a private arbitrator in L.A. rather than in open court.

Lively filed a lawsuit against the movie director, his Wayfarer Studios colleagues, his publicist, and his crisis PR team in December 2024.

She alleged that he sexually harassed her on the set of the film and launched a retaliatory online smear campaign against her.

Baldoni hit back at Lively in January this year with a defamation lawsuit, naming her publicist Leslie Sloane and husband Ryan Reynolds in the document.

He accused her of trying to wrest creative control of the movie from him and claimed she had defamed him.

However, a judge has since dismissed his defamation and extortion suit, ruling that Blake Lively’s claims were made within privileged court documents.

Lively’s legal battle resulted in significant changes to her personal life. The “A Simple Favor” actress became estranged from her decade-long best friend, Taylor Swift, after allegedly likening herself to “Game of Thrones” character Khaleesi and referring to the pop star as one of her “dragons.”

However, a source told Daily Mail that the “Bad Blood” hitmaker recently “reconnected” with her following the release of her new album, “The Life Of A Showgirl.” However, the singer seemingly placed limits on their friendship and wouldn’t publicly support her in her legal drama.

“Taylor and Blake have reconnected, and some apologies were made about her being dragged into the lawsuit,” the insider shared, adding that  the reconnection is in “no way a signal that she is supporting Blake in the ongoing case.”

It follows reports that Lively “liked” a release post on Swift’s new project, with a second source adding that they “are on better terms,” but hopes of a full-blown rapprochement rest on the singer.