Filming on the western film Rust will resume in the spring, producers have announced, more than a year on from the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set.
A documentary about Hutchins‘ life and final work, which will include the completion of the movie, is also in the works alongside the production, supported by her husband.
The 42-year-old died after a prop gun held by Rust star and producer Alec Baldwin, 64, was discharged during rehearsals in October 2021. Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the incident, which took place on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:15
Moment Baldwin learns of Hutchins’ death
In January, following a lengthy investigation, Baldwin and the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were charged with involuntary manslaughter, while assistant director Dave Halls has entered into a plea agreement to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Despite the legal cases, he is due to return to the film in his acting role and as a producer, Sky News understands. Filming will no longer take place in New Mexico, but as yet, no details about the new location have been announced.
As previously announced, Souza will return to direct, and the cinematographer’s husband Matthew Hutchins – who settled a civil lawsuit in October – will serve as an executive producer. He will be joined by the Oscar-nominated Grant Hill (The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life), alongside the original producers.
More on Alec Baldwin
Related Topics:
A statement from Rust Movie Productions said Matthew Hutchins had chosen cinematographer Bianca Cline (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) to complete his wife’s vision for the film, and that she will donate her salary to charity.
The production will continue to use union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition. “Live ammunition is – and always was – prohibited on set,” the producers said.
Advertisement
‘Completing what Halyna and I started’
In a statement, Souza said: “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.
“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.”
Two safety officers will be among the new crew members joining the production, Rust Movie Productions said, while original crew members returning include stunt co-ordinator Allan Graf and costume designer Terese Davis.
The documentary on Hutchins’ life will be directed by Rachel Mason, with Julee Metz producing and Matthew Hutchins also serving as executive producer.
“Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna, and they look forward to working with the production to honour their friend,” the producers’ statement said.
What happens next in the criminal case?
Baldwin is due to make his first court appearance in relation to the case on Friday 24 February. He is likely to appear virtually.
In her report, Santa Fe’s district attorney alleged the actor had shown “wilful disregard” for the safety of others in the days leading up to the incident and was not present for “mandatory” firearms training.
Instead, he had undergone a 30-minute on-set session, during which he was distracted by a phone call to his family, the prosecutor said.
Her statement added that on the day of the shooting, there were “no less than a dozen acts, or omissions of recklessness” on the set in the period prior to the incident.
Baldwin is facing two charges of involuntary manslaughter in relation to Hutchins’ death.
The first can be referred to as involuntary manslaughter and requires proof of underlying negligence. The second charge is involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act, which requires proof that there was more than simple negligence involved in a death; it also includes a firearm enhancement, which makes the crime punishable by a mandatory five years in prison.
The star is attempting to have the more serious charge thrown out. Lawyers for the actor argue that New Mexico prosecutors committed an “unconstitutional and elementary legal error” by charging him under a statute that did not exist at the time of the fatal shooting.
The new lawsuit from Hutchins’ Ukrainian family
Meanwhile, a civil lawsuit has been filed by Hutchins’ Ukrainian parents and younger sister, who works as a nurse on the outskirts of the capital city of Kyiv and is married to a man fighting in the war against Russia.
The new lawsuit alleges negligence and the depravation of benefits, based on the emotional or financial support that Hutchins previously provided to her sister and parents.
The lawsuit also names a list of Rust crew members, an ammunition supplier, producers of the film and affiliated businesses as defendants.
It seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as legal costs.
Baldwin in turn has filed his own lawsuits against people involved in handling and supplying the loaded gun. He has said he was told the gun was safe.
Tom Brady has promised to be “a better parent” after a Netflix comedy special poked fun at his divorce.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion appeared on The Roast Of Tom Brady, where comedians like Kevin Hart tore into his split from Gisele Bundchen in 2022 after 13 years.
While the 46-year-old said he “loved when the jokes were about me,” Brady told The Pivot Podcast that he “didn’t like the way it affected my kids”.
“It’s the hardest part about, like the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and then all of a sudden you realise ‘I wouldn’t do that again’ because of the way that it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world,” he said.
“It makes you, in some ways, a better parent going through it ’cause again sometimes you are naive. You don’t know, or you get a little like, ‘oh shit’.”
Brady has two children – Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11 – with Bundchen. He also is a father to a third child, 16-year-old John, with actress Bridget Moynahan, who he dated until 2006.
‘Single life is what you deserve’
Hart, who hosted the Netflix special, kicked off proceedings by referencing their split, saying: “Single life is what you deserve because you had no choice.
“Gisele gave you an ultimatum. Gisele said ‘you retire or we’re done’. That’s what she said to you, Tom. ‘You retire, or we’re done’.
“Let me tell you something. When you got a chance to go eight, nine, and all it will cost is your wife and your kids, you gotta do what the f*** you gotta do.”
Nikki Glaser also fired jabs at Brady’s divorce, saying: “Five-time Super Bowl MVP, most career wins, most career touchdowns.
“You have seven rings. Well, eight, now that Gisele gave hers back.”
Brady also told the podcast that as a parent, “you just don’t see the full picture all the time,” and added the roast taught him “a good lesson”.
“I’m going to be a better parent as I go forward because of it,” he added. “And at the same time, I’m happy everyone who was there had a lot of fun.”
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, David Beckham shared he texted Brady to check on him after the roast aired, saying: “I know Tom well and I must admit, I did fire him a message just to check if he was okay.
“He’s more than okay, but yeah, it was hard to watch.”
Brady, who is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback ever, played 20 regular seasons with the New England Patriots and three regular seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which he won the Super Bowl seven times and was a three-time runner up.
Hollywood stars have begun campaigning for Kevin Spacey to resume his acting career “after seven years of exile”.
Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and Stephen Fry are among the names speaking up for the Oscar-winner following the release of a Channel 4 documentary levelling fresh allegations against 64-year-old Spacey, which he denies.
The Oscar-winning actor was one of Hollywood’s biggest names when allegations of sexual misconduct were made in 2017, leading Netflix to cut all ties with him at the height of his House of Cards fame.
Despite being acquitted of numerous sexual offences after a trial in London, and winning a US civil lawsuit in which he was accused of making an unwanted sexual advance, Spacey said he still feels ostracised from the industry.
Basic Instinct star Stone told the Telegraph: “I can’t wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault, and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.”
The 66-year-old said it was clear aspiring actors had “wanted and want to be around him”.
She added: “It’s terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didn’t get their secret agendas.”
More on Kevin Spacey
Related Topics:
Taken and Star Wars actor Neeson, 71, told the paper: “Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.”
British actor and writer Fry said Spacey had been both “clumsy and inappropriate” on many occasions, but to “devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes… how can that be considered proportionate and justified?”
The 66-year-old said Spacey’s reputation had been “wrecked”, adding: “Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof?
“Unless I’m missing something, I think he has paid the price.”
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “Spacey Unmasked is an important film exploring the balance of power and inappropriate behaviour in a work environment, aiming to give a voice to those who have previously been unable to speak out.”
Spacey won two Academy Awards as best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects in 1996 and best actor in 2000 for American Beauty, which also scored him a BAFTA for leading actor.
The weapons supervisor for the Western film Rust is appealing against her conviction for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on set, according to court documents.
She was in charge of weapons during the production of the film in October 2021, when a Colt 45 revolver fired by actor and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died, while director Joel Souza was injured.
A defence lawyer for Gutierrez, who is serving an 18-month sentence at a prison for women in New Mexico, filed a shortly worded appeal notice on Monday.
Her legal team has 30 days to submit detailed arguments. They previously requested a new trial following the verdict.
Gutierrez’s trial was told she unwittingly brought live ammunition to the set, where it was expressly prohibited, and failed to follow basic gun safety protocols.
During her sentencing hearing, she told the court she had tried to do her best while working on the production, despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing”.
Baldwin, who was a producer for the film as well as its star, has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
He maintains he pulled back the gun’s hammer – but not the trigger – before it fired, and is set to face trial in July. He denies any wrongdoing.
The 66-year-old was originally charged in January 2023, more than a year after the shooting, but those charges were dropped a few months later. He was charged again in January this year.
His legal team has filed a motion calling for the charges to be dropped. Prosecutors responded with a 32-page documentclaiming that footage of the star on set shows he had “absolutely no control of his own emotions” and “no concern for how his conduct” affected those around him.
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Assistant director David Halls, who also faced charges, entered a plea bargain for negligent use of a deadly weapon last year, receiving a six-month suspended sentence.