Alec Baldwin’s Rust movie, which halted production in October following the death of its cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, is expected to continue filming, with a producer saying he’s confident the motion picture will be completed. Halyna was tragically killed in New Mexico after a prop gun that Alec was holding was accidentally discharged while the actor rehearsed a scene. Though the mother-of-one was rushed to a nearby hospital, she had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after.
The film industry was stunned by the incident, particularly since Alec had been given a fully loaded gun instead of handing him an actual prop. An investigation concerning Halyna’s death is still ongoing, but from what Anjul Nigam — a producer on the film — has said in a new interview, Rust is expected to carry on with production in due time, with clear expectations that the movie will certainly be completed in the near future.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Anjul explained, “Rust is obviously a horrific tragedy. The investigation will hopefully be resolved soon and will unveil what happened. Obviously, there will be people out there who will have negative perspectives, but we’re confident about continuing to make quality movies. We’re confident we’ll be able to complete the movie.” His comment comes shortly after the New Mexico Environment Department claimed that execs overseeing Rust’s production had violated safety protocols on set — an allegation which producers are strongly denying.
View this post on Instagram
New Mexico’s environment cabinet secretary James Kenney stated the fine they had charged Rust Movie Productions in the amount of $136,793 — the maximum civil penalty allowed by state law.
“Our investigation found that this tragic incident never would have happened if Rust Movie Productions, LLC had followed national film industry standards for firearm safety,” James expressed. “This is a complete failure of the employer to follow recognized national protocols that keep employees safe.”
Alec’s attorneys trailed with a statement of their own soon after, saying they appreciated that their client had been exonerated in the lengthy investigation to back up their argument that the actor can’t be held accountable for the incident since he was not aware of the gun was loaded, to begin with. “We are grateful to the New Mexico occupational health and safety bureau for investigating this matter,” they said. “We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds.”
Meanwhile, in March, Alec and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, announced the news that they were expecting their seventh baby together in a doting video posted to the lifestyle guru’s social media page. Then, in May, the expectant mom revealed that the gender of their forthcoming arrival was a girl.