Connect with us

Published

on

On 21 October 2021, Halyna Hutchins turned up to the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico, the set of the western film she was working on with star Alec Baldwin, for what should have been a normal day at work.

Hutchins, who was Ukrainian, was considered a rising star in her field, having moved to Los Angeles to study film after growing up on an army base in the Russian Arctic, where her father served in the navy.

An experienced cinematographer and crew member with previous action film credits, she was used to being on location, helping to bring stories to screen.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in a shooting on the set of the western film Rust. Pic: Swen Studios/ Reuters
Image:
Pic: Swen Studios/ Reuters

The 42-year-old mother of one appeared to be enjoying her time in the city of Santa Fe, sharing photographs of sunrises and other moments from the Rust set on social media in the days before the tragedy that unfolded.

But while rehearsing for a scene involving a firearm, the prop gun, held by Baldwin, was discharged, the bullet wounding director Joel Souza and fatally striking Hutchins. The star believed the .45 Colt he had been handed was “cold”, or unloaded.

The cinematographer’s death made headlines around the world, with claims of safety concerns on set in the days leading up to the tragedy quickly coming to the fore. A lawyer for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer (the person in charge of weapons on set), alleged the gun may have been sabotaged.

Lawsuits from crew members and Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, followed, as Baldwin, 64, gave an on-camera interview saying he didn’t pull the trigger, that the weapon misfired as he cocked it, and that he did not know how live rounds came to be on set.

More on Alec Baldwin

How the gun went off is a detail that remains contested, with an FBI report released in August 2022 concluding that the gun could not have been fired without the trigger being physically pulled.

At the beginning of October 2022 came confirmation of an undisclosed settlement between Baldwin and the production company for the film, and Hutchins’ family – and the announcement that filming of Rust would resume early in 2023, with Matthew Hutchins executive producing.

The criminal inquiry into what happened on set that day continues, despite the civil settlement. But a year on from Hutchins’ untimely death, charges are still to be brought.

Santa Fe’s district attorney (DA) has been granted additional funding to investigate the high-profile case, saying in a letter to the State of New Mexico Board of Finance, seen by Sky News, that she anticipates prosecuting “up to four individuals” if it is found that charges are warranted. The names of those individuals have not been released.

Strict safety protocols are typically in place on film and TV sets, especially when weapons are being handled. So how did this tragedy happen – and why, after a year, is the investigation still ongoing?

The DA’s investigation: ‘Many individuals had handled the gun’

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the armourer on the set of Rust. File pic: Shutterstock
Image:
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the armourer on the set of Rust. File pic: Shutterstock

In August, an FBI report concluded that Baldwin did pull the gun’s trigger.

The report, seen by Sky News, said that with the hammer (the part of a gun that strikes the firing pin) in the quarter – and half-cock positions, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger”.

The FBI’s review came after a separate report by safety regulators found that management on set “knew that firearm safety procedures were not being followed”, with the Rust film company fined a maximum $139,793 (£107,019) over the “avoidable loss of life“.

At the time, Rust Movie Productions said it disagreed with the findings and planned to appeal.

The Santa Fe district attorney, or chief prosecutor, had been waiting for the results of the FBI investigation before looking at charges.

In a letter requesting funds to aid her work, dated 30 August 2022, Mary Carmack-Altwies said: “During the filming of [RUST], Alec Baldwin shot and killed Halyna Hutchins and injured Joel Souza while rehearsing a scene.

“Many individuals had handled the gun that ultimately killed Hutchins and injured Souza.”

She continued: “If charges are warranted, the FJDA (First Judicial District Attorney) anticipates prosecuting up to four individuals.”

While the names of those individuals were not included in the letter, as Baldwin was involved in the incident he could be one of them.

Ms Carmack-Altwies went on to say that while she was ready to start considering charges, “I do not have the proper funding in my budget to prosecute such a high-profile case”. A request of $635,000 (about £565,000) was made, with the State Of New Mexico Board of Finance agreeing on 20 September 2022 to just over half this amount, $317,750 (about £282,900).

A spokesperson for the district attorney told Sky News there is no set timeline to make a decision on whether to file charges and that they are still awaiting a final report from the Santa Fe County Sheriff.

“Once she receives the report, the district attorney and her team of professional attorneys and investigators will carefully review all of the materials provided,” the spokesperson said. “The district attorney’s priority will be upholding the integrity of the process and ensuring that, like any other case she handles, this investigation is held to the highest standards.”

Details of what the charges could be, if the DA decides to move forward with prosecution, have not been released, but the prosecutor is understood to be looking at all New Mexico laws that might be applicable to the case – which could include involuntary manslaughter and negligent use of a deadly weapon.

Sky News has also contacted the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office for an update. It is understood the sheriff office’s report is expected to be ready in the next week or so.

In a statement in August, a spokesperson said detectives were waiting to receive and review phone records before forwarding their case file to the DA for review.

Before the shooting

Police recover bullet fired from gun actor used by Alec Baldwin

Filming of Rust began on 6 October 2021, according to the New Mexico Film Office, and was set to take place throughout that month and into November 2021.

“Rust is the story of a 13-year-old boy, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, [who] goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after he’s sentenced to hanging for the accidental killing of a local rancher,” the film office said in a statement announcing production had started.

From New Mexico, about 75 crew members, 22 principal actors, and 230 “background talent” were taking part in the film, it said.

In the days before her death, Hutchins shared photos and videos from the set on Instagram. Her last, just two days before the tragedy, showed a clip of her horse riding.

“One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off,” she wrote.

The day of Hutchins’ death

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘We need help’: 911 call after film set shooting

According to police reports, the shooting took place shortly before 1.50pm. The bullet hit Hutchins in the chest.

Rust’s assistant director Dave Halls had earlier handed Baldwin the prop gun and indicated it was safe to use, according to court documents.

A search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court suggested neither Baldwin nor Halls knew the weapon was loaded with live rounds.

The recording of the 911 call made was released in the days after the tragedy. Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell could be heard telling the operator “we need help immediately”.

Asked if the gun was loaded with a real bullet, she replied: “I don’t, I cannot tell you that… we have two injuries from a movie gunshot.”

When asked if there was “any serious bleeding”, Ms Mitchell replied: “I don’t know. I ran out of the building.”

An unidentified male voice later came on the line and told the operator the two people who were shot were “alert” but he was not sure which parts of their bodies were injured.

In April 2022, police in New Mexico made public all the files associated with the criminal investigation into Hutchins’ death, including camera footage from detectives, incident reports, crime scene photos and witness interviews collected during the investigation.

One clip showed Baldwin rehearsing with the gun that went off.

With Ms Hutchins behind the camera lining up what would be her last ever scene, the footage showed Baldwin sitting inside a church, dressed in period Western costume, pulling out the revolver.

Why do film sets use real guns?

Dwayne Johnson at the premiere Black Adam in London. Pic: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
Image:
Pic: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

As tributes were paid to Hutchins, her death also raised questions about the use of guns on sets.

When special effects can conjure up a talking tiger and other animals in the Jungle Book, and create dragons for Game Of Thrones, why use real firearms?

“With firearms, you only get one mistake and somebody’s dead. There’s just no reason to take that risk,” California state senator Dave Cortese said in an interview in the wake of the fatal shooting.

Craig Zobel, the director of the Emmy-winning Mare Of Easttown series, starring Kate Winslet, tweeted: “There’s no reason to have guns loaded with blanks or anything on set anymore. Should just be fully outlawed.”

Dwayne Johnson also said his production company would no long use real guns or bullets on set.

“We are going to be using rubber guns and we’ll take care of it in post [production] and we won’t worry about the dollars or won’t worry about math or what the cost is,” he said at the time.

Speaking to Sky News at the UK premiere of his new superhero film Black Adam, he gave an update, saying: “We’ve done some reshoots, of course, on our sets and we have put that in practice and you actually realise it becomes very seamless.

“It’s just a matter of standing by the decision and then making sure that everyone is aligned with it because everyone really just wants a safer set.

“And by the way that’s not an indictment on our armoury guys, our gun guys. I believe in the right to arm… guns, and I’m a gun owner. But I also think the most important thing is complete safety on our set. So it’s been going very well and we’ll continue down this road.”

The safety concerns raised

Serge Svetnoy and Halyna Hutchins
Image:
Serge Svetnoy, a friend of Hutchins’, was one of the crew members who filed a lawsuit following her death

In November 2021, Ms Mitchell and Serge Svetnoy, the film’s chief electrician, both filed lawsuits.

At a news conference, Ms Mitchell’s lawyer Gloria Allred claimed Baldwin, an “industry veteran”, should not have trusted a gun handed to him by anyone other than the prop master or armourer.

She described his and producers’ behaviour as “reckless”.

Ms Allred said safety failures included allowing live ammunition on set, leaving guns and ammunition unattended and permitting them to be handled by people other than the armourer and prop master.

Mr Svetnoy was inside the church set when Hutchins was shot, standing just feet from the actor. He described being hit with bullet fragments before cradling the dying cinematographer, whom he had known for several years, for more than 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived.

A resignation letter from former crew member Lane Luper also emerged in the weeks after the shooting, and he said he “never felt as close to death” on a set as he did on the set of Rust.

Mr Luper was the lead camera operator for the production but resigned the day before the tragedy.

In his resignation letter to a production manager, seen by Sky News, Mr Luper highlighted concerns about the safety and welfare of crew as the reason for him walking away.

In the email, he noted two accidental discharges of firearms and one accidental discharge of special effects explosives in the days before Hutchins was killed.

‘Someone is responsible… I know it’s not me’

Alec Baldwin speaks to abc news about the shooting of Halyna Hutchins. Pic: abc
Image:
Pic: ABC

In an interview with Good Morning America in December 2021, Baldwin said he did not feel guilt over the shooting and that there was “only one question to be resolved – where did the live round come from?”

The star told host George Stephanopoulos that he and Hutchins “had something profound in common, and that is we both assumed the gun was empty”.

When asked if he felt guilt over her death, he said: “No. No. I feel that… someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me. Honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I might’ve killed myself if I thought that I was responsible. And I don’t say that lightly.”

Speaking about the moments before the gun went off, he said: “I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off.”

The actor said he did not realise what had happened at first, as “the idea that someone put a live bullet in the gun was not even in reality”.

“She goes down,” he said. “I thought to myself, did she faint? The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me till probably 45 minutes to an hour later.”

Read more: Seven key points from Baldwin’s first interview

In another interview in August 2022, Baldwin responded to the FBI’s report concluding that the gun’s trigger had been pulled, saying the bullet could have fired through a process called “fanning”.

“This did not come from me, this came from the DA’s office themselves,” he told US journalist Chris Cuomo on his podcast.

“If you pull the hammer back, and you don’t lock the hammer; if you pull the hammer back pretty far – in old Western movies you’d see someone fan the hammer of the gun.

“The hammer didn’t lock. You pulled it back to an extent where it would fire the bullet without you pulling the trigger, without you locking the hammer.”

He also said that “everybody who was there, they know exactly what happened. They know exactly who’s to blame”.
Baldwin also commented on the slow progress of the investigation, saying: “The fact that this has taken so long has been quite troublesome to me.”

What did the separate parties say about the civil settlement?

Matt Hutchins says he is 'angry' with Alec Baldwin as well as blaming multiple on-set safety failings. Pic: NBC
Image:
Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matt Hutchins, will executive produce Rust when filming resume. Pic: NBC

The undisclosed settlement between Hutchins’ family, Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions was announced on 5 October 2022.

“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr Baldwin),” Matthew Hutchins said in a 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.”

Rust Movie Productions, through attorney Melina Spadone, said: “We are pleased the parties came together to resolve this matter, which, subject to court approval, marks an important step forward in celebrating Halyna’s life and honouring her work.”

Alec Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, said: “Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”

Rust director Joel Souza said: “Those of us who were lucky enough to have spent time with Halyna knew her to be exceedingly talented, kind, creative, and a source of incredible positive energy. I only wish the world had gotten to know her under different circumstances, as it surely would have through her amazing work.

“In my own attempts to heal, any decision to return to finish directing the film could only make sense for me if it was done with the involvement of Matt and the Hutchins family. Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honouring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf.”

What happens now?

A photo of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died after being shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of his movie "Rust", rests among candles at a vigil in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., October 23, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

Following the announcement of the civil settlement, the DA’s office issued a statement to say the agreement would have “no impact” on the ongoing criminal investigation.

“While civil suits are settled privately and often involve financial awards, criminal cases deal only in facts,” the statement said.

“If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law then charges will be brought. No one is above the law.”

Read more: The tributes to Halyna Hutchins

So the criminal inquiry continues.

If charges are brought by the DA, it is understood most defendants would get separate jury trials, with preliminary hearings, which could take several weeks each to complete.

Sky News has contacted representatives for Alec Baldwin and Rust Productions for comment.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Richard Taylor: Academic who sued Steve Coogan over Richard III film says he hasn’t received an apology

Published

on

By

Richard Taylor: Academic who sued Steve Coogan over Richard III film says he hasn't received an apology

A university academic who is receiving “substantial damages” for how he was portrayed in a film has told Sky News he hasn’t received an apology from star Steve Coogan – nor the two companies involved in its production.

Richard Taylor said he was “shell-shocked” after seeing The Lost King for the first time, a film about how Richard III’s skeleton was discovered below a car park in Leicester.

He told The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee: “I wasn’t consulted or even knew I was in the film. The first I hear is I get a phone call while I’m on holiday – and eventually, after press previews, I persuade the producers to let me see a preview.”

Richard III
Image:
Richard III

Last year, a judge ruled that Mr Taylor was depicted as “smug, unruly dismissive and patronising” – with the plot suggesting he “knowingly” misled the public.

“I’m portrayed by someone on screen who looks like me, who sounds like me, who dresses like me – but behaves in a way that falls so far short of the standards I set for myself and what others might reasonably expect of me,” the academic explained.

Mr Taylor revealed he received emails at work telling him to “rot in hell”, while others described him as a “disgrace”.

He added: “Something that was a collaborative effort that showcased the best of British universities in my view was turned into this farce – where I was the villain and portrayed in a way that was completely inconsistent with the reality and the truth.”

Now chief operating officer at Loughborough University, Mr Taylor said “none of the facts” in the 2022 film were ever checked – and the Alan Partridge star, his company Baby Cow and Pathe Productions did not reach out to him before its release.

“The producers just went ahead, filmed it, produced it, stuck it out there and left me to deal with all the flack and all the fallout from it. Grossly unfair and I feel vindicated from the result we’ve achieved,” he told Sky News.

Steve Coogan and two production companies have agreed to pay 'substantial damages'. Pic: PA
Image:
Steve Coogan and two production companies have agreed to pay ‘substantial damages’. Pic: PA

‘The film’s going to look pretty silly’

As part of the settlement, an on-screen clarification will now be added to the start of the film, but no scenes will be removed.

When asked whether he was satisfied with this outcome, Mr Taylor replied: “I’d have liked them to re-edit the film, but one’s got to be realistic about what one can achieve.

“The insertion of the card will say that the person on screen is a fictitious portrayal – and the real Richard Taylor didn’t behave like that … so the film’s going to look pretty silly.”

Read more UK news:
Community plagued by 25,000 tonnes of illegal waste
What tax rises could be announced in the budget?

The statue of Richard III outside Leicester Cathedral. Pic: Shropshire Matt/PA
Image:
The statue of Richard III outside Leicester Cathedral. Pic: Shropshire Matt/PA

The case was due to proceed to trial, but a High Court hearing on Monday heard that the parties had settled the claim.

In a statement afterwards, Coogan had said: “If it wasn’t for Philippa Langley, Richard III would still be lying under a car park in Leicester. It is her name that will be remembered in relation to the discovery of the lost king, long after Richard Taylor has faded into obscurity.”

He went on to add: “That is the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did.”

Reacting to the statement, Mr Taylor argued “it’s a pretty strange definition of happy when you’ve had to settle a defamation claim for seven figures in costs”.

He said: “Steve is never anything other than certain in himself and of his own position, but I think he’s got it wrong – basic facts were not checked.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died

Published

on

By

Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales has died

Prunella Scales, best known for her role as Sybil in Fawlty Towers, has died aged 93, her family has said.

Prunella Scales was watching the sitcom the day before she died, her sons Samuel and Joseph West said.

They said in a statement to the PA news agency: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday.”

Her seven-decade acting career saw her in multiple roles from the 1950s, including in 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines, before featuring as the wife of John Cleese’s character Basil Fawlty, in two series of Fawlty Towers in 1975 and 1979.

Prunella Scales, pictured in 2017, has died at the age of 93. File pic: PA
Image:
Prunella Scales, pictured in 2017, has died at the age of 93. File pic: PA

The family statement added: “She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.

“Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024.

“She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

“We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

Prunella Scales was married to fellow actor Timothy West for 61 years before his death in November 2024. Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock
Image:
Prunella Scales was married to fellow actor Timothy West for 61 years before his death in November 2024. Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock

Prunella Scales was one of the most successful and popular comedy actresses of her generation – achieving worldwide fame and recognition as Sybil, the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers.

Her performances, alongside John Cleese, are often regarded as arguably some of TV’s funniest comedy moments ever.

The sitcom, set in a hotel in the seaside resort of Torquay, continues to be broadcast. It was developed into a theatre production that moved to London’s West End in 2024.

Prunella Scales (left), pictured here in 1979 as Sybil, alongside John Cleese (back centre) who played Basil Fawlty. Pic: Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock
Image:
Prunella Scales (left), pictured here in 1979 as Sybil, alongside John Cleese (back centre) who played Basil Fawlty. Pic: Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock

But although she was regularly cast in comic roles, alongside comedy giants like Richard Briers and Ronnie Barker, her abilities ranged far more widely than that.

‘National treasure’ and ‘British icon’

Jon Petrie, director of comedy at the BBC which broadcast Fawlty Towers, described her as a “national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today”.

Meanwhile, Corinne Mills, for Alzheimer’s Society, called her a “a true British icon” and praised her for “shining an important light on the UK’s biggest killer”.

Seven-decade acting career

Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth, who was born on 22 June 1932, had a seven-decade acting career.

Her career break came with the early 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines, starring opposite Richard Briers. Scales also played Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question Of Attribution, and in 1973, Scales teamed up with Ronnie Barker in the series called Seven Of One.

In 2006, she appeared alongside Academy Award winners Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell in the mini-series The Shell Seekers.

Scales married West in 1963, and had two sons; the elder being the actor and director Samuel West, and a stepdaughter, Juliet.

Prunella Scales, seen with husband Timothy West in 2024, was living with dementia. Pic: PA
Image:
Prunella Scales, seen with husband Timothy West in 2024, was living with dementia. Pic: PA

Dementia caused her ‘gradual disappearance’

In January 2013, she revealed her short-term memory was fading and a year later her husband confirmed that Scales was living with dementia.

West told Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: “The sad thing is that you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person that you knew and loved and were very close to.

“When we’ve been to a concert, or a play, or a film, there’s nothing very much we can say about it afterwards because Pru will have a fairly hazy memory.”

The couple appeared together in 10 series of the TV series Great Canal Journeys until Scales’ dementia reportedly progressed to the point where they had to stop in 2020.

The pair appeared in several more specials, where they looked back at their travels.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Steve Coogan ‘proud’ of Richard III film as he agrees to pay ‘substantial damages’ in libel case

Published

on

By

Steve Coogan 'proud' of Richard III film as he agrees to pay 'substantial damages' in libel case

Steve Coogan says he is “proud” of his film about the discovery of Richard III’s remains after he and two production companies agreed to pay “substantial damages” to a university academic.

The Alan Partridge star, his firm Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions have settled a libel claim over how Richard Taylor was portrayed in the 2022 movie The Lost King after he sued them.

Coogan, who co-wrote the screenplay and also starred in the film, said The Lost King was “the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did” following the settlement in the High Court on Monday.

The movie tells of how Philippa Langley led the search for the king’s skeleton.

Richard Taylor outside the High Court. Pic: PA
Image:
Richard Taylor outside the High Court. Pic: PA

The lost remains of the Plantagenet monarch, who ruled England between June 1483 and August 1485, were discovered in a Leicester car park in August 2012, more than 500 years after his death.

In June last year, Judge Jaron Lewis ruled that the film portrayed Mr Taylor, who was deputy registrar at the University of Leicester at the time of the discovery, as “knowingly misrepresented facts [about the find] to the media and the public”.

Mr Taylor was also shown to be “smug, unduly dismissive and patronising”, which had a defamatory meaning, the judge said.

More on Steve Coogan

The case was due to proceed to trial, but lawyers for Mr Taylor, who is now chief operating officer at Loughborough University, told a hearing at the High Court on Monday that the parties had settled the claim.

Richard III reigned from 1483 to 1485. Pic: PA
Image:
Richard III reigned from 1483 to 1485. Pic: PA

Depiction caused serious harm – lawyer

His barrister, William Bennett KC, said Mr Taylor felt “the depiction of him in this untrue way in the film caused serious harm to his professional and personal reputations and caused enormous distress and embarrassment to him”.

“The defendants have now settled Mr Taylor’s claim in the libel against them for the publication of the film by paying him substantial damages.

“Furthermore, they have agreed to make changes to the film in order to withdraw the allegations complained of and to pay him his legal costs.”

The University of Leicester played a “crucial role in providing funds and academic expertise” for the project to find the remains, with Mr Taylor the “key co-ordinator of the university’s involvement”, Mr Bennett said.

A statue of Richard III outside Leicester Cathedral. Pic: Shropshire Matt/PA
Image:
A statue of Richard III outside Leicester Cathedral. Pic: Shropshire Matt/PA

On-screen clarification to be added to start of film

Coogan, and the production companies were not represented and did not attend but in a joint statement following the hearing, they said they were “incredibly proud of this film and are pleased this matter has now been settled”.

An on-screen clarification will be added to the start of the film, saying the portrayal of Mr Taylor in the film is “fictional and does not represent the actions of the real Mr Taylor”, who “acted with integrity during the events portrayed”.

In a separate statement, Coogan said Philippa Langley “instigated the search for Richard III. Philippa Langley insisted on the dig in the northern area of the social services car park where the remains were found. Philippa Langley raised the majority of the money for his exhumation”.

“If it wasn’t for Philippa Langley, Richard III would still be lying under a car park in Leicester. It is her name that will be remembered in relation to the discovery of the lost king, long after Richard Taylor has faded into obscurity.

“The only changes to the film will be a front card, which will follow the existing card, which says that this film is a true story, Philippa Langley’s story. That is the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did.”

Read more on Sky News:
Romanian grooming gang jailed
24 hours in Ukraine’s kill zone
President re-elected aged 92

Mr Taylor said that he felt “cross” and “completely helpless” when the film was released, but the outcome represented “success and vindication” after “a long and gruelling battle”.

He said: “There have been moments over the last three years when I thought, when Philippa Langley approached me for the university’s support, I perhaps should have put the request in the bin, but I didn’t, and I think I was right not to do that.”

Continue Reading

Trending