It's time to admit Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively’s 'feud' was a complete conspiracy.

Whether you asked for it or not, A Simple Favor is getting a simple sequel.

The 2018 novel adaption, starring Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding, was a surprise hit at the box office. The story follows a friendship between two suburban mothers: widowed vlogger Stephanie (Kendrick) and glamorous Emily (Lively), who disappears in the first film.

Original director Paul Feig is back for the sequel, which will see Stephanie and Emily up to more mischief, but this time on the island of Capri in Italy, where Emily is holding her extravagant wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. 

Filming is already underway and leaked photos from the set have shown that the 'Italian businessman' in question will be played by 365 Days actor Michele Morrone. In the images, Kendrick appears to be one of her former foe's bridesmaids, suggesting the characters have put their differences aside.

It's no huge surprise the film is getting an (albeit rather delayed) sequel, given the first movie was made for $20 million and earned more than $97 million at the worldwide box office. However, what might come as a surprise to fans of the film is that both of its leading ladies have reunited for the sequel.

This is because many assumed that Lively and Kendrick despised each other. But apparently... they're super hyped to be back.

"I've actually read the script now and it's so good," Kendrick told E! News in a new interview.

But wait... what?

Okay, let's recap. 

From the very beginning of filming for the original movie, rumours swirled that Lively and Kendrick did not get along.

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively at the New York premiere. Image: Getty. 

One month into filming in September 2017, Star (now In Touch Weekly) reported that Lively and Kendrick had clashed over the Pitch Perfect star making fun of Taylor Swift, who we all know is Lively's longtime pal.

Then came the press tour. 

There were quite a few examples of Kendrick and Lively making snide comments at each other, which could either be taken as harmless jokes or speaking to some tension simmering under the surface. In one viral interview with MTV, Kendrick mockingly said to the Gossip Girl star, "Oh muffin, it's so hard being you" and later recoiled from Lively's touch, whispering, "Don't touch me."

In more recent years, even more allegations have surfaced. In 2021, Celebrity Memoir Bookclub claimed that by the time A Simple Favor finished shooting, the two women "were not speaking". In one video, the podcast shared a screenshot of a message they received from someone claiming they worked at the studio that made the film.

"They HATED each other. The studio even had to have a talk with them about making it look like they liked each other on press tours because it was starting to get obvious," the person claimed.

"Anna in particular was really competitive with Blake and was constantly asking to make sure she got more promotion than Blake and even made us PHOTOSHOP HER CLEAVAGE in The Simple Favor poster to be as big (or bigger) than Blake's."

I mean... make of that what you will but Anna Kendrick's cleavage is definitely prominent in this movie poster.

Hmmm, they could have a point. Image: Warner Bros.

But given what we know about Lively and Kendrick signing back on to do another movie together, some of the past rumours about them are now cast under a suspicious light.

Interview moments that initially made headlines, such as Lively revealing she was blocked by Kendrick on Instagram, were likely just jokes and nothing deeper than that.

Another interview that people quote as evidence of the feud was a chat between the women facilitated by BuzzFeed featuring Kendrick's buzzy quip to Lively, "That was the day I decided I hate you", which often appears in stories about the women.

The full interview was, of course, far less controversial.

The moment came as Lively was talking about the guilt she felt over a day she was told to come in an hour late but her co-star hadn't been told they were filming later. "I was like, 'Oh, so weird, is Anna — where is she?' and they were like, 'Oh, she's been ready for an hour. We didn't push her call,'" Blake recalled. 

To this, Kendrick joked back, "That was the day I decided I hate you." Lively took the comment in her stride, continuing to talk about how 'mortified' she felt at that moment and then Kendrick shared a similar story of feeling guilty for being tardy one day.

It was such a throwaway joke but attached to the rumours these two were feuding... the tabloids took it and ran with it. 

Neither Kendrick nor Lively has ever commented on any animosity between them, but their co-star Henry Golding has said there's no truth behind the rumours. "I think they got on pretty reasonably well," he said on Watch What Happens Live.

"Definitely no friction that I noticed." 

Henry Golding on Watch What Happens Live. Image: Bravo.

For every awkward interview moment between Kendrick and Lively on the press tour, there were countless sweet and wholesome encounters that obviously didn't draw any headlines.

Of course, it was easy to imagine that the women were enemies. Hollywood has a checkered history of pitting successful women against each other, after all. But there was more than just a sexist trope at play.

Lively and Kendrick have less-than-glowing reputations about how they... get along with others. In the case of Shallows star Lively, she is known for her rumoured feud with Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester. Despite starring together as besties, Serena and Blair, for six seasons, there was always said to be an odd energy between the young stars.

In 2017, this weird vibe was confirmed by Gossip Girl writer Joshua Safran.

"Blake and Leighton were not friends," Safran confirmed to Vanity Fair. "They were friendly, but they were not friends like Serena and Blair."

He highlighted the differences between the two Gossip Girl leads. "Blake is very much in the moment. Blake knows what's happening. She knows this movie's coming out, this band is happening. Leighton [on the other hand] was very removed and very quiet," he said.

And then there's Kendrick, who has an even more controversial reputation for allegedly being rude to people. In one video by a TikToker called Tahira, she spoke about her experience working as a stylist for the actress on her book tour.

@iamtahira 3 STRIKES! BYEGIRL! #greenscreen #barneysnewyork #customservice #celebritystorytime #storytime ♬ Classical Music - Classical Music

She claimed that the Twilight star "won't speak to me, that's strike one... she won't say anything", Tahira alleged. She went on to say that Kendrick instructed that her fan mail be thrown in the bin, and said she would only wear the stylist's clothes for $15,000.

With these two women's reputations combined, it was almost too easy to imagine a personality clash between them.

But given they're happy to reunite for A Simple Favor sequel, this should be enough to quiet any more conspiracies that these two genuinely hate each other.

And even if they do, we should be in for one hell of an upcoming press tour. It's a win-win.

Feature image: Lionsgate/Getty.