NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The production company behind Alec Baldwin’s high-profile film “Rust” now says it will finish the movie in Montana later this year. The announcement comes just days before Baldwin is expected to face a judge for a first court hearing in the New Mexico criminal case tied to the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
In a news release Wednesday, Rust Movie Productions said it will resume work on the film at Yellowstone Film Ranch, east of Bozeman, Montana. A week ago, the production company announced filming would resume in spring with Hutchins’ widow joining the staff as an executive producer.
The production also says another team will film a documentary surrounding Halyna Hutchins’ life and add new safety staff to the production following the 2021 shooting. Hutchins was killed during a scene rehearsal after she was hit with a bullet that fired from a gun Baldwin was handling. The film’s director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting.
Souza and Baldwin are both expected to resume their roles on the project, with Souza describing the work as “see[ing] this through on Halyna’s behalf.” In a statement Wednesday, Souza also described the production as having been invited to finish the film in the Yellowstone Film Ranch. In October, the production announced it would not finish the movie in New Mexico.
Baldwin, the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the film’s assistant director David Halls are all facing criminal charges in the case. Halls is expected to take a plea deal on a lesser misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon (unsafe handling). Meanwhile, Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed face involuntary manslaughter charges for Hutchins’ death.
