Another Simple Favor is Blake Lively‘s first film following the It Ends With Us legal drama, which is still ongoing. The movie was a sequel to the commercially successful 2018 mystery A Simple Favor, reuniting Lively with Anna Kendrick and Paul Feig.

While the film had encouraging reviews following its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival, Lively can’t escape controversial projects. On Mar. 13, Oscar-nominated actress Sharon Stone alleged in a comment on social media that she was cast and then removed from the sequel “for no reason at all.” The director hasn’t responded to the claims, but a source told People that Stone was “never cast” in the film.

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“I LOVED being cast and removed from my role unexpectedly for no reason at all LOVED it,” Stone wrote in the comment section of an E! News Instagram post feeding into the feud rumors between Lively and her co-star Anna Kendrick.

The source paints a different story. They claimed director Paul Feig “had spoken to Sharon about a role in the film, but the financials didn’t work out.“

“As often is the case, the budgets didn’t align. No one was dropped from a role. There was interest, as often is the case with movies, and budgets didn’t align. That’s how benign it is.”

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They added, “You have to be cast before you’re dropped. She was never cast.”

Stone, who received a nomination for Best Actress for 1995’s Casino, alleged she was removed from the role. While many scenes are cut in post-production, the Basic Instinct actress had no idea about it. She didn’t provide additional details about her role in the sequel.

Another Simple Favor Debuted to Positive Reviews

Another Simple Favor showed Lively’s Emily out of prison, despite the events at the end of the 2018 film. She was already planning a better life, asking Kendrick’s Stephanie to be the bridesmaid at her new wedding in Capri, Italy. Another Simple Favor brought back Andrew Rannells, Henry Golding, and Aparna Nancherla from the first film and also introduced Michele Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Elizabeth Perkins, Alex Newell, and Allison Janney.

Despite the ongoing controversy between Lively and Justin Baldoni, critics enjoyed the sequel. Following its world premiere, Another Simple Favor debuted with a 77% approval score from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which is more than encouraging. Its score further improved to 80%. The audience score is not yet available as the movie is not officially out.

Instead of a theatrical release, as might have been the case, considering 2018’s A Simple Favor grossed $97.6 million worldwide, making it a hit considering its $20 million budget, the movie will head straight to streaming. Amazon MGM Studios will release Another Simple Favor on Prime Video on May 1, and the critics’ score might fluctuate, as well as add an audience score.

Source: People