Brandon Sklenar Talks Possible ‘It Ends With Us’ Sequel

Will “It Ends With Us” get a blockbuster sequel? The jury’s still out, but Brandon Sklenar is all in for reprising his role as Atlas.

This comes amid the Blake Lively drama, who has come under fire for allegedly downplaying the film’s domestic violence themes in her promotion of the new adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel. The movie, which stars Lively as Lily Bloom, explores her struggles with an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle (played by Justin Baldoni) while reconnecting with her childhood love, Atlas (portrayed by Brandon Sklenar).

In August, a Hollywood insider confirmed that discussions about a sequel had yet to begin, and Brandon Sklenar is backing up that statement.

On Thursday, September 5, the 34-year-old actor chatted with Access at a Ralph Lauren event in NYC, where he revealed he’s eager for the chance to reunite with the cast and bring Colleen Hoover’s 2022 follow-up, “It Starts With Us,” to the big screen.

“Your guess is as good as mine at this point. I would love to do it, I really would, I would love to do it,” Sklenar admitted when asked about a sequel to the hit film. “I hope we can get it together because I think the fans deserve it, and I’d just love to tell more of Atlas’ story and get into his past a little more. Yeah, it would be beautiful if we can do it. I would love to.”

Sklenar addressed the swirling online controversy—presumably regarding rumored tensions between the main cast and director/actor Justin Baldoni.

“Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,” Sklenar wrote on Instagram, per People Magazine. “Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point.”

“What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film,” he added. “It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”

In his social media post, Sklenar also called the film a “harsh reality check for the men who need to get their sh-t together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”

He added that it is “meant to inspire” as well as “validate,” “recognize” and “instill hope.”

“It’s meant to build courage and help people feel less alone,” he wrote. “Ultimately it’s meant to spread love and awareness. It is not meant to once again, make the women the ‘bad guy,’ let’s move beyond that together.”

As widely reported ever since the film premiered, Lively has come under fire for her responses to questions about the film’s domestic violence themes, as well as for her past behavior in older interviews that have recently resurfaced.

“She defines herself, and I think that that’s deeply empowering to remind people that no one else can define you,” the actress explained of her character, Lily Bloom. “No experience can define you. You define you.”

She later circled back, “What’s been beautiful about this movie is that, unfortunately, we all know at least someone … who have experience[d] this. The beauty of this has been to see people and to see this movie alongside women who haven’t experienced this — thank goodness — go, ‘Woah. I fell in love too.’”

Shortly after the backlash surfaced, and she posted domestic violence resources on social media.

Following the film’s premiere on August 9, Lively turned to Instagram to share domestic violence resources with her followers.

“1 in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime,” she wrote. “Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people every year in the United States. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence.”

If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for support.