Blake Lively's Career Timeline
When people search for what movies Blake Lively has been in, they usually want a straight answer. She started as a teen actress and transitioned into leading roles over nearly two decades. Here is the breakdown of her filmography, organized by release date.
Early Career and Television Breakthrough (2005–2012)
Her first feature film role was in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), which launched her into visibility. She followed it with Save the Second Dance 2 (2006), a direct-to-video sequel that has zero bearing on her actual career growth. The same year she began shooting Gossip Girl, which ran for six seasons and became her defining work for most of her fanbase. She returned to the Sisterhood franchise in 2008 and appeared in the ensemble comedy He's Just Not That Into You (2009). Her mid-career pivot point came with The Town (2010), where she held her own alongside Ben Affleck and Justin Bartha. That film is probably the most overlooked entry in her filmography. Then Green Lantern (2011) underperformed critically and commercially, but it showed she could carry a big-budget tentpole. Her second act began around 2015 with The Age of Adaline, a fantasy drama where she played a woman who stops aging. The film made $189 million worldwide against a $35 million budget, which made it one of her most profitable projects. She then starred in The Shallows (2016), a survival thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra that grossed over $119 million on a $17 million budget. This is where her strategy became clear: pick smaller films with higher returns rather than chasing blockbusters. A Simple Favor (2018) marked her entry into darker material. She played a suburban mother who goes looking for her friend's missing wife, and the film grossed $124 million globally. Anna Kendrick's performance alongside her is genuinely excellent and the film got overlooked at awards time despite being a solid thriller. She also produced and starred in Slumberland (2022), a Netflix fantasy film that performed well on the platform though it received mixed reviews. Most recently, she starred in It Ends with Us (2024), adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel. The film grossed over $370 million worldwide, making it her biggest box office hit by a wide margin. The subject matter is heavy and the marketing leaned heavily into BookTok demographics, which was a smart targeting decision. Complete Filmography The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) Save the Last Dance 2 (2006) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) He's Just Not That Into You (2009) The Town (2010) Green Lantern (2011)What Movies Has Blake Lively Been In A Vivid Journey Through Her Cinematic Career
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A Jolly Good Time (2015) The Age of Adaline (2015) The Shallows (2016)
Miss Stevens (2016, voice cameo) A Simple Favor (2018) Natural Born Charm (2019, short)
Cancer Ward (2020, short) Broadcasting Births (2020, short) Slumberland (2022)
It Ends with Us (2024)
She has also been confirmed for It Starts with Us (2025), which is a sequel to It Ends with Us and will round out her current contractual obligations with Sony. Outside of film, Gossip Girl (2007–2012) remains her most substantial body of work and the reason she stayed relevant during periods between releases.
One thing most people miss when tracking her career is the production angle. She has been building her producing credits steadily since Adaline, which matters for someone who wants control over later-career projects. The pattern is consistent: lead a smaller film, build a producing credit, then move up the budget ladder on her own terms. It works, but it limits the range of projects she can realistically take on early in development.
