NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Amid continued criminal and civil proceedings against Alec Baldwin and the producers of the film “Rust,” the film’s production company now says it will restart work on the project this spring with old and new crew members, including Baldwin.
Rust Movie Productions also says it will work with another team who plans to release a documentary on the life of Halyna Hutchins, the film’s slain cinematographer.
The production of “Rust” has been on hold since October 2021 when a gun went off on the film set at Bonzana Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, killing Hutchins and injuring the film’s director Joel Souza. Actor-producer Alec Baldwin was handling the weapon during a rehearsal when the weapon fired.
In a news release Tuesday, the production company said members of the original crew and production team will be among those finishing the project. The production is also said to have the full support of Hutchins’ widow, Matthew Hutchins, who will now serve as an executive producer on the project.
Souza will remain in the director’s chair.
“Though bittersweet, I am grateful that a brilliant and dedicated new production team joining former cast and crew are committed to completing what Halyna and I started,” said “Rust” director Joel Souza in a news release Tuesday. “My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf.”
Previously, the film’s producers announced production would resume in January, outside of New Mexico. Tuesday’s news release made no further mention about where the production will take place.
In Hutchins’ absence, Bianca Cline (“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”) has been chosen as the film’s cinematographer. Cline will donate her full salary to charity in honor of Halyna, according to the production company.
The production also noted the addition other new crew members, including safety officers Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan with Los Angeles-based Tenet Production Safety. Other additions include: Stephen Marinaccio, as EP/LP; Christine Brandt, who will work as the production designer; and producer Grant Hill.
“The production will continue to utilize union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition,” Rust Movie Productions said. “Live ammunition is — and always was — prohibited on set.”
A documentary on Hutchins’ life is expected to be a separate project from director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz. The documentary is described as an effort to honor “their friend [Hutchins] 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.”
Alec Baldwin and the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are expected in court on February 24 for an initial hearing. Both are facing one count of involuntary manslaughter. The film’s assistant director David Halls, who has agreed to a plea deal, will face a judge during an in-person hearing in on March 8, 2023, at 10 a.m.
