Justin Baldoni sued Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Thursday, alleging that the Hollywood power couple hijacked his film, “It Ends With Us,” and sought to destroy him with false allegations of sexual harassment.

In the 179-page complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni and his publicists accuse Lively and Reynolds of civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. The suit seeks at least $400 million in damages.

The legal action represents the most recent strike in the ongoing battle between the co-stars of "It Ends With Us," as both vie for dominance in shaping public perception.

“At its core, this isn’t merely a situation of famous individuals trading barbs in the media,” claims Baldoni’s lawsuit. “This is a matter involving two of the globe's most influential stars using their considerable clout to seize an entire film from its rightful director and production team… When the Plaintiffs present their case in court, the jury will understand that no matter how powerful a celebrity may be, they cannot manipulate the truth to suit their desires.”

Lively filed her own lawsuit against Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel on Dec. 31, 10 days after lodging her initial complaint against them with the California Civil Rights Department.

Lively has alleged that Baldoni and several individuals conspired to execute a covert media smear campaign targeting her, as a form of retaliation for her allegations of sexual harassment during the filming. In her complaint, she cited numerous text messages from Baldoni's publicists, which indicated their intention to "bury" her reputation.

In reaction, Baldoni initiated legal action against the New York Times — the publication that initially disclosed Lively's CRD complaint — claiming that the newspaper collaborated with Lively's team to misrepresent text messages and defame him. At that moment, his attorney, Bryan Freedman, assured that additional lawsuits were on the horizon.

"This legal case arises from a substantial collection of unaltered evidence highlighting Blake Lively and her team's deceitful efforts to undermine Justin Baldoni, his associates, and their businesses by distributing heavily manipulated, unfounded, and fabricated information to the press," Freedman stated in a Thursday announcement. "Our readiness to present the entire set of text messages, emails, video recordings, and other documentation exchanged in real time between the involved parties clearly indicates that this is a fight she cannot prevail in and will undoubtedly come to regret."

The most recent lawsuit echoes several arguments presented in the New York Times case, contending that the comprehensive evidence reveals Lively's suit to be a distorted representation of the facts.

“Blake Lively was either grossly misinformed by her representatives or deliberately distorted the facts,” Freedman stated. “Ms. Lively will no longer be permitted to take advantage of genuine victims of harassment merely to boost her own image at the expense of the vulnerable. It’s important to remember that Ms. Lively and her associates tried to tarnish reputations and jeopardize livelihoods for shockingly self-serving motives through their reckless manipulation of the media, all before pursuing any legitimate legal recourse. The truth is out, and the public is aware of it now. Justin and his team have nothing to conceal; the evidence speaks for itself.”