‘Rust’ Production Will Not Return to New Mexico

“Rust” will resume production in January, more than a year after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on set. But the production will not return to New Mexico, where a criminal investigation and state workplace safety proceedings remain unresolved.

The production is still looking for a new location, but California is a possibility, said Melina Spadone, the attorney for Rust Movie Productions LLC.

The production company announced a settlement on Oct. 5 with Matthew Hutchins, the widower of the cinematographer. Under the agreement, the production will be able to resume after a 15-month hiatus. Matthew Hutchins said in a statement that completing the film would be a way “to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”

Halyna Hutchins was shot while preparing a scene in a church with actor Alec Baldwin on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin unholstered a gun, which he had been told was “cold,” and it fired. The bullet passed through her body and lodged in the shoulder of director Joel Souza. She was airlifted to a hospital, where she died. Souza, who is returning to complete the film, was released from the hospital later that day.

Investigators have since determined that the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, loaded one live round into Baldwin’s gun. Several other live rounds were also found on the set.

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Some of the crew on the original production have expressed reservations about resuming the project, with one telling Variety that they “want nothing to do with it.”

The original production was shot under agreements with the industry labor unions, and the resumption would also be covered by such agreements, Spadone said. She also said that the production would have a “safety officer” on set.

The goal is to complete the film and submit Hutchins’ work for consideration for cinematography awards, Spadone said.

Some of the original crew also supported the idea of completing the project.

“I’d like to see ’em finish, because I feel Halyna would want that,” Ed Pinkard, an animal wrangler who handled horses on the film, told Variety. “It might bring a sense of closure.”