'Rust' Shooting To Resume, Alec Baldwin To Remain In Starring Role

The shooting of the Western movie "Rust" is expected to resume this spring, with actor Alec Baldwin, also one of the producers, remaining in the starring role.

This development comes after the actor was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died in 2021.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will have a mix of new and old crew members.

Rust Movie Productions shared that Bianca Cline will join the film as its cinematographer in Halyna's stead.

A documentary on her life, including her work on "Rust," will be spearheaded by director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz. Its shooting will also commence with the "full support" of the production and Halyna Hutchins' husband, Matthew Hutchins. He will serve as an executive producer on both titles.

Rust Movie Productions in a statement that Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna, and they look forward to "working with the production to honor their friend." They also want to show the brilliance and depth of Halyna's talent while "conveying what her loss has meant to her friends, colleagues and the entire film industry."

Baldwin had been rehearsing a scene for "Rust" when the shooting, which led to Halyna's death in October 2021, happened.

After the 42-year-old Ukrainian's death on a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, there were calls for safety reform on film sets. There were also numerous lawsuits among producers and various crew members, reported The Guardian.

After the Hollywood star reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Matthew, the movie was expected to resume filming last month.

But then in January, fresh charges of involuntary manslaughter were brought against the actor and the movie's armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed. They were brought by the Santa Fe District Attorney's office, as per BBC.

Attorneys for both parties denied any wrongdoing and said that they planned to fight them in court.

The decision to charge the actor was called "a terrible miscarriage of justice" by Luke Nikas, Baldwin's lawyer.

The lawyer said that Baldwin had no reason to believe that there was a "live bullet in the gun or anywhere on the movie set."

He added that the actor relied on the professionals with whom he worked, "who assured him the gun did not have live rounds."

Rust Movie productions said on Tuesday that the scene which was being rehearsed when the cinematographer was shot has now been rewritten. The team also shared that "any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition" had now been barred from the film's set.