After shooting a toy gun on a movie set and killing cameraman Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin struck a settlement with her family.
Rust will continue to shoot in January with executive producer Matthew Hutchins, the widower of Ms. Hutchins, on board.
According to her husband, everyone involved believes Ms. Hutchins’ death was an accident.
A lawsuit claiming violations of industry norms was brought against Mr. Baldwin, the producers, and others.
The settlement’s precise terms, which must be approved by the court, have not been made public.
In a statement, Mr. Hutchins said that when production restarts, “all the original major players” will be participating, as a means to “pay homage” to his late wife’s final project.
He continued,
“I have no interest in indulging in recriminations or assigning blame.
“We all think Halyna’s death was a sad accident,” one person said.
“Hard scenario”
“We are glad to announce today the settlement of the legal case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins,” Mr. Baldwin wrote in a response to the news on Instagram.
“Throughout this challenging process, everyone has retained a specific intention to act in Halyna’s son’s best interests.
“We are grateful to everyone who helped bring this unfortunate and upsetting situation to a close.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Rust director Joel Souza, who was also hurt during the shooting at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said he will now commit himself “to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud.”
He said,
“Though bittersweet, I am glad that we will now finish what Halyna and I started together.
Baldwin was experimenting with drawing a toy gun when the incident happened in October of last year.
Authorities heavily criticized and penalized the film’s producers for disregarding safety regulations.
The New Mexico Environment Department claims that the producers of Rust displayed “plain indifference to recognized hazards linked with the usage of guns on set.”
Rust Movie Productions received the maximum $136,793 (£105,000) penalties from the agency.
Later, the movie’s producers refuted the official findings, claiming that they had “applied all required safety measures.”
Police also made a video from the set, which showed the shooting’s aftermath.
After almost a year after the incident, the criminal investigation is still ongoing.
“The proposed settlement announced today in Matthew Hutchins’ wrongful death case against Rust movie producers, including Alec Baldwin, in the death of Halyna Hutchins will have no impact on District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis’ ongoing investigation or her ultimate decision whether to file criminal charges in the case,” said Heather Brewer, a spokesperson for the Office of the First Judicial District Attorney for New Mexico.
“Unlike civil lawsuits, which are privately resolved and can result in monetary judgments, criminal cases simply deal with the evidence. Charges will be filed if the facts and evidence support them under New Mexico law. Nobody is exempt from the law.
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