Rust will reportedly continue filming, despite producer and star Alec Baldwin facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Production was shut down in October 2021, when Hutchins was shot with live ammunition from a prop gun being handled by Baldwin during rehearsal for a scene in the film.
Don’t throw your screen across the room just yet. The production is moving ahead with the blessing of Hutchins’ family and friends. Per The Hollywood Reporter:
Bianca Cline (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, American Horror Story) will join the film as its cinematographer in Halyna Hutchins’ stead, according to Rust Movie Productions. A documentary on Hutchins’ life, including her work on Rust, spearheaded by director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, will also commence shooting with the “full support” of the production and Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, who will serve as an executive producer on both titles.
Cline is donating her salary to charity.
There is no winning in a situation like this. If the movie is shelved forever, the last project Hutchins worked on never sees the light of day, and there’s value to the last piece of art Hutchins created. If it goes ahead, there will always be an element of rubbernecking to the project because negligence tragically led to Hutchins’ death. Most importantly, here, the scene that led to Hutchins’s death has been rewritten and won’t be in the film.
The whole situation is sad, and it seems that it allows the people who loved Hutchins to come together to finish her last project and create a documentary to show the world who Hutchins was and hopefully help them grieve their friend. From the above article:
“Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna, and they look forward to working with the production to honor their friend and show the brilliance and depth of Halyna’s talent while conveying what her loss has meant to her friends, colleagues and the entire film industry,” said Rust Movie Productions in a statement.
Another major change to the production is that working weapons will no longer be used on the set. Call me ignorant, but why the hell would any production need working weapons in the first place?! This seems like a no-brainer for any movie or production.
According to THR, “All of the movie’s principal cast, including Travis Fimmel and Frances Fisher, will be returning, producers claim.” But you’ll notice that Alec Baldwin’s name is conspicuously missing from that pull quote. Hutchins’ parents and sister filed a wrongful death suit against him, crewmembers, and other producers, last week. Hutchins’ husband and son settled their suit separately from this new suit. The article doesn’t shed light on whether he’ll be back or not, so only time will tell.
The whole situation is sad, and at the center of it, a woman is dead. I feel for her friends and family grieving her loss, and I hope the resuming of the production of Rust can bring them some peace and closure.
(featured image: Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
