Paul Feig Explains Ditching Ryan Reynolds’ Gin in ‘A Simple Favor 2’ for His Own Artingstall Brand

Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation gin may have been a star of wife Blake Lively’s 2018 film A Simple Favor — but don’t expect the brand to make an appearance in the film’s sequel.

“There’s no more Aviation,” director Paul Feig revealed to Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Tuesday, February 25, before sharing that his own brand, Artingstall Gin, would instead be featured as the replacement. “This movie is all Artingstall’s all the time. I’m very proud of my brand. And actually, our bottle is so beautiful that it fits in. It doesn’t feel like it doesn’t belong. There’s never a shortage of martinis in any of my movies.”

Feig launched Artingstall in 2020, two years after A Simple Favor hit theaters with a scene that featured Lively’s character, Emily, teaching Anna Kendrick’s Stephanie how to make a “real” martini. Emily’s perfect cocktail included a frozen glass, dry vermouth, a twist lemon — squeezed into the glass and dabbed around the rim — and a bottle of Reynolds’ Aviation gin, kept chilled in the freezer.

Shortly after the scene went viral, Feig revealed that he initially had chosen a different gin for the film before Lively suggested Aviation, sharing that it’s a brand Reynolds “really likes.”

“I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t like the look of it on the screen, but I really thought the bottle looked fantastic,” Feig told Cosmopolitan at the time. “So I, honestly, didn’t even realize the level of involvement that [Ryan] had in it, but I think it’s great, because it’s a really good gin.”

While Aviation won’t be making a return for Another Simple Favor, Feig has continued to support Lively in other ways. The director has often come to her defense amid her legal battle with former It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni. (Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December 2024, citing sexual harassment and retaliation, Baldoni vehemently denied the claims, filing a $400 million countersuit against her and Reynolds for defamation.)

Shortly after Lively’s lawsuit made headlines, Feig took to social media to share his own experience of working with the actress, writing via X, “I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with.”

The following month, Feig denied the movie was scrapped due to the lawsuit. In February, when an Instagram follower questioned if Another Simple Favor would ultimately be Feig’s cut “or Blake’s cut” — Baldoni has alleged that Lively “took over” It Ends With Us — Feig had no issue setting the record straight.

“It’s my cut,” he replied. “There is no other cut. 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.”

The pair’s most recent collaboration will be available to stream on Prime Video May 1 after it debuts at SXSW next month. The film follows Emily, newly sprung from jail, as she invites now-mommy-vlogger-turned-private investigator Stephanie to her glamorous nuptials in Capri. While the two frenemies hope for wedding bliss, they quickly find themselves in the midst of murder and betrayal.

“I resisted doing sequels to any of my movies,” Feig told EW on Tuesday of his decision to return to the franchise. “But I love these characters so much that I thought, ‘Well, there’s more fun to be had with them.’ But that meant taking them out of their comfort zone.”