According to US rumors, production on the Western film Rust will resume this spring, with producer Alec Baldwin retaining the lead role.
Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of cameraman Halyna Hutchins on site.
Bianca Cline will replace the late Ms. Hutchins, along with a mixture of new and veteran crew members.
According to producers, her widower Matthew has also approved a documentary about her.
The documentary, created “at the request of [executive producer, Mr.] Hutchins and with his blessing and support,” will examine Ms. Hutchins’ life and “last work, including the completion of the film,” according to the statement.
Alec Baldwin was practicing a scene for the film Rust at a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico in October 2021 when the gunshot that killed the 42-year-old Ukrainian occurred.
After reaching a deal in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Mr. Hutchins, the Hollywood star was slated to resume production in January.
The Santa Fe District Attorney’s office filed new allegations of involuntary manslaughter against him and the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed last month.
Both parties’ attorneys denied any misconduct and vowed to battle them in court.
Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, described the actor’s indictment as a “sad miscarriage of justice.”
Mr. Nikas stated,
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to suspect there was a live bullet in the rifle or anywhere else on the film set.” “The professionals with whom he worked told him that the rifle did not contain live ammunition. We will battle these accusations and prevail.”
‘Halyna’s legacy’
Rust Movie productions, of which Baldwin is a member, announced on Tuesday that the sequence that was being rehearsed when Ms. Hutchins was shot has been rewritten and that “any usage of working weapons and any type of ammunition” has been prohibited on set.
The firm expanded that Ms. Cline, whose other credits include Marcel the Shell With Shoes On and American Horror Story, will now “fulfill Halyna’s vision for the film” and donate her income to charity.
“Although heartbreaking, I am pleased that a talented and dedicated new production team is committed to finishing what Halyna and I began,” said director Joel Souza, who was also injured during the shooting.
“This video will be created with the intention of honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is an honor to see this through in her stead.”
Gary Jensen and Paul Jordan from Tenet Production Safety, as well as project designer Christine Brandt, will join the production.
The first of the two charges filed against Baldwin by the District Attorney’s office in Santa Fe last month will require proof of his underlying carelessness.
The second offense requires proof of more than basic negligence owing to a firearm enhancement; if proven, the celebrity might be sentenced to five years in prison.
However, Baldwin’s attorneys argued last week that the second charge was “illegal” because the enhancement was only enacted after the incident.
Ms. Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey, father Anatolii Androsovych, and sister Svetlana Zemko filed a new civil case against the actor and the production business earlier this month, demanding damages for alleged abuse, deliberate infliction of emotional distress, carelessness, and loss of consortium.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the on-set shooting, though he has not yet replied publicly to the case.
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