After cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the Albuquerque, N.M., set of the film “Rust,” by a prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin, production on the independent Western was halted.
But now the film’s producers, Rust Movie Productions, have announced that production will resume this spring, according to Deadline.
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Bianca Cline, who recently worked on “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” has come on board as a cinematographer, and plans to donate her salary to charity in honor of Hutchins. Producers originally stated production with the original cast, which also includes Jensen Ackles, would resume last month.
The crew will feature a mix of new and returning members from the original “Rust,” shoot, including director Joel Souza. Souza was wounded during the shooting incident, and both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The death of Hutchins sent a shockwave throughout Hollywood. Filmmaker Bandar Albuliwi, proposed a ban of real guns on film and television sets, and a petition for "Halyna's Law" was signed by Dwayne Johnson, Elijah Wood, Lena Dunham and Ava DuVernay, amongst others.
Actor, Crewmember Face Criminal Charges
Baldwin and Reed were formally charged with involuntary manslaughter on Jan. 31 by the Santa Fe D.A.’s office, and face up to five years behind bars if found guilty. According to the filing, the pair have been accused of acting in “a negligent manner.”
The filing alleges that “the gun that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza was not properly inspected, that ongoing safety issues on the set were not addressed, that Baldwin neglected to take required training, and that the veteran actor directly pointed a gun at someone on set – something that is never supposed to happen,” According to Deadline.
Souza, who was also injured in the shoot, and several members of the original “Rust” production are named on the D.A.’s potential witnesses list. The first hearing in the case is Feb. 24.
Hutchins’ husband Matthew will still serve as an executive producer on “Rust,” and so will Grant Hill ("The Thin Red Line"), alongside the original producers. Rust Movie Productions also said that with the blessing of her husband, director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz will make a documentary about Halyna Hutchins’ life and work including on “Rust.”
Lawsuit Leads to a New Producer
Matthew Hutchins filed a wrongful death suit against Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions over the shooting. As part of the settlement Hutchins came aboard as a producer. Additionally, Rust Movie Productions was fined $136,793 by the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau for its “willful and serious” violation of workplace safety procedures after an investigation of the shooting. Appealing that ruling, producers said that going forth, the production “will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition.”
Additionally, gaffer Serge Svetnoy filed a lawsuit against the production for general negligence, and script supervisor Mamie Mitchel also filed suit, claiming "there was nothing in the script indicating that a firearm was to have been discharged."
"Rust" is produced by El Dorado Pictures, Cavalry Media, Thomasville Pictures, Brittany House Pictures, Short Porch Pictures and Streamline Global, which Reuters notes is a "company founded in 2017 to use film produced with production tax incentives as vehicles to create tax breaks for wealthy investors." It is set to be distributed by The Avenue, which is owned by Highland Film Group, whose founders are CEO Arianne Fraser and COO Delphine Perrier.
