Alec Baldwin's Rust is STILL set to resume filming later this month
Alec Baldwin’s Rust is STILL set to resume filming later this month despite an involuntary manslaughter charge being brought against star for shooting and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
- Alec Baldwin has been spotted for the first time since charges were announced
- Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will face involuntary manslaughter charges
- Production of the film was meant to resume with Baldwin back in the lead role
Production of Alec Baldwin’s Rust film could still go ahead despite charges of involuntary manslaughter being brought against the star and an armorer after a crew member was fatally shot on set.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died after a prop gun held by Baldwin, 64, was discharged during filming for the Western movie in 2021.
Both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have vowed to fight the charges, which will be officially filed next week.
The film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun, agreed to a plea deal on a charge of the negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Actor Alec Baldwin, 64, has vowed to fight the involuntary manslaughter charges that will be filed against him by the end of the month
Sources close to the film’s production say that even after the charges against Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, filming will still resume despite the death of Halyna Hutchins (pictured)
But insiders told the New York Times there are plans to continue with the production of the film despite the multiple charges.
Baldwin is expected to continue in the lead role, and Joel Souza would take over as director, with on-set safety supervisors and union crew members.
There will be a ban on the use of working weapons and any form of live ammunition, including blanks.
According to crew members, there were two separate incidents of accidental discharges of blanks that occurred before cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.
But dozens of cast members signed a letter seeking to counter suggestions that the set was dangerous, despite the safety concerns raised by others.
It is not yet clear where the location of the filming will take place.
Baldwin is expected to continue in the lead role, and Joel Souza as the director, with on-set safety supervisors and union crew members. Pictured: Bonanza Creek Ranch, where Baldwin shot Hutchins
Dozens of cast members signed a letter seeking to counter suggestions that the set was dangerous, despite the safety concerns raised by others
Production was halted after Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, launched a legal battle against the production company
A distraught Alec Baldwin is seen in October 2021, outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, following the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins
Production was halted after Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, launched a legal battle against the production company.
However, after the wrongful death lawsuit was dropped and another legal bid was settled, it allowed the production to continue.
The fatal shooting occurred on the outskirts of Santa Fe at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a picturesque location for movie westerns since the 1950s.
Last year, the production said that returning to New Mexico was not an option but that locations in California were under consideration.
When the settlement was reached, Matthew Hutchins said that he had ‘no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame’ and that ‘all of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident’.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed are facing a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter of Hutchins (pictured)
Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (center) died after being shot by Baldwin during a rehearsal on October 21, 2021 in New Mexico
However, after the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Hutchins family was dropped and another legal bid was settled. Pictured Halyna with her husband Matthew and son Andros
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film set’s armorer, will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter
But after decisions were made to charge Baldwin and the armorer, he issued a statement saying: ‘It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law.
Mary Carmack-Altwies, the First Judicial District Attorney in New Mexico, is standing firm
‘We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.’
Lawyers for Baldwin say that he will contest the charges, insisting he cannot be held responsible for the prop guns on set, which were the responsibility of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
The film’s assistant director, Dave Halls, pleaded guilty to negligence and received a six-month suspended sentence.
Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe prosecutor, tore into him Baldwin while announcing the charges, saying ‘an actor doesn’t get free pass’ as she insisted he did pull the trigger on the gun that killed Hutchins.
Last year, the production said that returning to New Mexico was not an option but that locations in California were under consideration
Hutchins’ October 19, 2021 Instagram post showed cast members and staffers, including Baldwin alongside Hutchins herself and armorer Gutierrez-Reed (circled left to right) on the set of Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Prosecutors say that they are ‘confident’ that they will obtain convictions, with special attorney Andrea Reeb adding: ‘We felt very confident that it was going to be a criminal case pretty close to the beginning, once we started looking at everything.
‘I’m sure he was confident he wasn’t going to get charged. But he isn’t above the law and he is somebody who committed a crime, and we’re going to hold him to the law, hold him accountable.’
He and Gutierrez-Reed are facing a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
If they are also convicted of a firearm enhancement on that charge, they will face a mandatory five-year prison sentence.
In a statement, Baldwin’s attorney said: ‘This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set.
Prosecutors say that they are ‘confident’ that they will obtain convictions against Baldwin and the armorer
Halls, an experienced assistant director, is pictured on the set of Rust, outside Santa Fe in New Mexico. He has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors
The gun from the set of Rust, which was accidentally fired, killing Hutchins
‘Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set.
‘He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.’
Carmack-Altwies told CNN they concluded Baldwin did pull the trigger – and that he ran a ‘fast and loose set’ that was plagued with safety issues.
‘There was such a lack of safety and safety standards on that set. There were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with dummy rounds.
‘Nobody was checking those or at least they weren’t checking them consistently.
‘They somehow got loaded into a gun, handed off to Alec Baldwin, he didn’t check it, he didn’t do what he was supposed to do to make sure he was safe or make sure anyone else was safe.
‘He pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins and he pulled the trigger,’ she said.’
She said a ‘totality of the circumstances’ led to the decision, adding: ‘This was a really fast and loose set. And that nobody was doing their job.’
Alec Baldwin, 64, spoke to George Stephanopoulos for an interview which aired in December 2021, and insisted he did not pull the trigger and was not responsible for Hutchins’s death
Her appearance comes after Mickey Rourke sprung to Baldwin’s defence, insisting there was ‘no way in hell’ he should face charges over the on-set shooting of the Rust camerawoman.
Rourke, 70, who in 2016 appeared on Baldwin’s podcast, said it was wrong to prosecute the Oscar-nominated actor.
Posting on Instagram, he said: ‘I usually never put my two cents in about what happens on someone’s movie set.
‘It’s a terrible tragedy what happened to a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
‘But no way in hell actor Alec Baldwin should be charged with any negligence whatsoever.’
Baldwin, who has since liked Rourke’s post, insists he is not responsible for the shooting, pointing out that he trusted the firearms professionals who were employed on-set. His attorney said he expects to be cleared.
Mickey Rourke (left) on Thursday insisted that his friend Alec Baldwin (right) should not be charged over the October 2021 shooting of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins
Rourke claimed it was wrong to expect Baldwin to manage the gun safety aspects of the set.
‘Most actors don’t know anything about guns, especially if they didn’t grow up around them,’ he continued.
‘Alec didn’t bring the gun to the set from his house or his car, when weapons are involved on a movie set, the guns are supposed to be handled only by the ‘weapon armor’.
‘In some cases the 1st AD might pass a gun to an actor, but most of the time the gun is handed to the actor directly by the ‘gun armor’.
‘There’s what ‘armor’s job is on the set. To have an expert around any type of dangerous weapon.’
Rourke said actors could then either ‘dry fire the gun’ or check the barrel themselves.
He said the decision to charge Baldwin was ‘terribly wrong’ adding: ‘I am sure Alec is already suffering enough over what happened. But to lay a blame on him is terribly terribly wrong.’
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