In 1969, the chaos theory founder Edward Lorenz articulated the Butterfly Effect, in which a single, small action in one area can lead to broader, unexpected outcomes in others. The phenomenon, based on his research into weather patterns, is a helpful metaphor for a storm now gathering force in Hollywood. When Blake Lively and her co-star and director Justin Baldoni first clashed on the New Jersey set of their hit romantic weepie It Ends with Us , they no doubt didn’t realize their careers would both be overwhelmed by the maelstrom. Nor that years on, and millions of dollars in legal fees later, the dispute would remain constant public fodder, heading to a May jury trial in a Manhattan federal courtroom. But what’s most surprising is what’s taking place downwind — thanks to their mutual animosity and assets. The personality-driven spectacle has uncovered a clandestine smear machine.…