As Blake Lively prepares to debut her next movie in the shadow of her It Ends With Us legal battle, costar Anna Kendrick is navigating a tricky situation.
Another Simple Favor, a sequel to their 2018 thriller, will open the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, on March 7 before it streams on Prime Video May 1.
When the stars shared the film’s first poster on Instagram Feb. 4, many in the comment section brought up Lively’s court battle with Justin Baldoni, the It Ends With Us costar and director she accused of sexual harassment and retaliation, which he denies. Some also questioned why Lively’s name is listed higher than Kendrick’s in the poster’s design.
A source tells PEOPLE that Kendrick, 39, is “not used to being caught up in any drama.”
“The comments on Instagram have upset her, especially the ones saying fans are now refusing to watch the movie because they don’t want to support Blake,” adds the source.
Kendrick and Lively, 37, play frenemies Stephanie and Emily in the Simple Favor films. Renewed reports and rumors sparked of behind-the-scenes tension between the two leads as social media users resurfaced their interviews from 2018, trying to glean signs of a feud.
A separate source tells PEOPLE, however, there “really is no drama or rift” between Kendrick and Lively.
Adds another insider, “There is no feud. The film is in the early stages of planning what press will look like, and Blake and Anna will be doing some things together.”
Reps for the stars did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
The costars spent time in Italy filming the sequel in the spring of 2024 as It Ends With Us was in post-production. The cast also includes Andrew Rannells, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, Henry Golding and Allison Janey.
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Kendrick, while promoting her directorial debut Woman of the Hour, told PEOPLE in October 2024 that it was “lovely” reuniting with Lively for the sequel.
“She lives on the East Coast, I live on the West Coast, so we don’t get to see each other often. But it was lovely, and I think that those characters have such weird chemistry that it’s so fun to just get the gang back together,” said Kendrick.
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Paul Feig, who returns to direct Another Simple Favor, has spoken out in support of Lively multiple times since her legal action came to light. He wrote back to one Instagram commenter under the film poster: “Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with. She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan.”
Additionally, in a January post Feig, 62, teased that the new movie “is awesome, and Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances. I can’t wait for you all to see it.”
