Justin Baldoni is preparing a “shock” counter-complaint against Blake Lively…

The actor and director, 40, has been accused by actress Lively of sexual harassment on the set of their movie It Ends With Us and, according to the Daily Mail, he is now preparing to submit legal documents of his own when the courts reopen after New Year’s Day.

His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, also told Deadline on Saturday: “I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative.

It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practising, I have never seen this level of unethical behaviour intentionally fuelled through media manipulation.”

The Mail reported Baldoni’s lawsuit will flip Lively’s narrative that he and his crisis PR team allegedly planted a smear campaign to “destroy” her reputation.

Supporters of Lively amid her battle against Baldoni have included actress Kaitlin Olson, 49, whose husband Rob McElhenney, 47, is a friend and business partner of Lively’s 48-year-old partner, Ryan Reynolds.

Kaitlin wrote on her Instagram Stories: “@blakelively is a kind, lovely, honest and generous person (and an incredible mom.) FYI.”

Baldoni has denied the allegations made by Lively, with his lawyer describing the claims as “categorically false”.

Freedman, as a lawyer for the actor and his Wayfarer Studios production company, told Variety:

“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”