It was recently reported that Rust will be finishing production following the settlement of a lawsuit against the filmmakers over the death of Halyna Hutchins. In October 2021, Hutchins was killed on the set of the Western after a live round was loaded into the prop gun given to lead actor Alec Baldwin. A criminal investigation is still ongoing, but as of now, no charges have been filed in relation to the tragedy.
Following the incident, Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and others involved with the making of Rust. Earlier this month, it was announced that the two sides had settled with Hutchins boarding the project as an executive producer. He said that finishing Rust would honor the “final work” of his wife, and word is producers plan to submit her cinematography work on the film for awards once the movie is released.
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“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” Hutchins said in the statement. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Now, Variety reports that Rust will also be moving to another state when filming resumes in January 2023. Rust Movie Productions LLC attorney Melina Spadone tells the outlet that producers are currently looking for a new filming location outside of New Mexico for when the project gets back on track. It is said that California is a “possibility” at this time, though nothing is finalized as of yet.
Not Everyone Involved Wants to Return to Finish Rust
Alec Baldwin will be back along with the principal cast members of Rust, given that Matthew Hutchins has given his blessing for everyone to finish the film. But there will be some crew members that won’t be coming back, as some people are too uncomfortable doing anything more with Rust after the tragedy. One crew member told Variety that the incident was “traumatizing across the board,” echoing the sentiments of some others.
“There’s just sort of a concern how I would emotionally respond to being in that space again. I don’t know that I would do my job well," the individual said.
But there are others supporting the idea of finishing Rust. Another crew member, maintaining anonymity over NDA concerns, suggested that the film will honor Halyna Hutchins’ legacy, so looking at it that way, perhaps they’re doing the right thing.
“I think he’s doing it for all the right reasons,” the person explained. “At a bare minimum, that project is the dream that his wife was working on, and right up to the accident, we had a beautiful-looking movie. If Matt wants to make the movie, and if Alec is willing to continue making the movie, then I think we should make the movie.”
No release date has been set for Rust but the plan is for filming to resume in January 2023.
