Alec Baldwin’s Rust Is About To Start Filming Again
Alec Baldwin's Western film Rust has resumed production.
On-set accidents happen in Hollywood, but very rarely do they turn fatal. According to NPR, filming of the controversial Alec Baldwin-led Western film Rust resumed today at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana. This is the first time filming has resumed since the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The incident occurred in October 2021 during a rehearsal of the original production. While Alec Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins on the set of Rust the gun inexplicably fired, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Although Baldwin contends that he never pulled the trigger, an FBI forensic report’s findings showed that the gun could not have fired without the trigger being pulled.
Both Alec Baldwin and Rust weapons supervisor Hannah Guiterrez-Reed were accused of involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Sante Fe. Safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls opted to plead no contest for unsafe handling of a firearm. As of Thursday, April 20th, charges were dropped against Baldwin.
The set was marred with numerous reports regarding workplace safety violations, and the fatal shooting was supposedly not the only time that a weapon misfired during production. The shooting had halted production indefinitely as Alec Baldwin and other Rust team members dealt with the legal and psychological fallout from the event.
The premise of Alec Baldwin’s Rust is a strange case of life in some ways imitating art. Eerily enough, the film is a Western thriller about a teenage outlaw who is evading the law after an accidental death and possible murder charge. Baldwin plays the boy’s outlaw grandfather who endeavors to assist the boy in evading the police and bounty hunters alike.
Alec Baldwin had a successful acting career prior to the incident on the set of Rust. The star may best be known for his starring role on 30 Rock, as well as appearances in The Departed and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. He is also known for his famous caricature of former President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.
Outside of Alec Baldwin, Rust stars Vikings’ Travis Fimmel, Titanic’s Frances Fisher, and Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles. Fans of Alec Baldwin and Rust will have to wait for the film’s eventual release to see whether or not the shooting incident and the halt in production have impacted the film’s overall quality. Reportedly, crews will be filming a documentary about Hutchins’ life concurrently with the latest round of production.
With Alec Baldwin returning to set and Rust’s production reinvigorated, seeing how the public reacts to the film will be interesting. Given the film’s controversy, some of the film’s crew declined to return to the set, and Bianca Cline replaced Huthinson’s role as cinematographer. Still, much of the crew has returned, some citing that their return is to honor the late Hutchins and her work contributing to the film.
After an almost unprecedented incident like this in production, the film has certainly received a ton of press. Regardless of speculations about critical and commercial success, Alec Baldwin and Rust will forever be tied to the tragic deadly incident.
