“Rust,” the western film on which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed with a prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin, is set to continue filming with Baldwin in the lead role, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Plans to complete the movie come amid the prosecution of Baldwin for manslaughter and multiple lawsuits against former crew members, including a lawsuit from Hutchins’ family, per the Deseret News.
Bianca Cline (“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”) will take over Hutchins’ role as cinematographer on set, the film’s producers, Rust Movie Productions, confirmed on Tuesday. In honor of Hutchins, Cline plans to donate her salary to charity, per Deadline.
Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, approved a documentary about her which will explore her life and “final work, including the completion of the film,” according to director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, per the BBC. Matthew Hutchins will serve as an executive producer on the documentary and “Rust.”
“Both Mason and Metz were close friends with Halyna, and they look forward to working with the production to honor their friend and 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,” said Rust Movie Productions in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Baldwin was rehearsing a scene for “Rust” on the New Mexico set when he fired a prop gun on set, which fatally shot Halyna Hutchins. That scene has been rewritten. And “any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition” has been banned from set, per the BBC.
The Hutchins family is suing Alec Baldwin
On Feb. 9, Hutchins’ family — her father, mother and sister — filed a lawsuit against Baldwin that “alleges battery, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium,” per NBC News.
Other lawsuits connected with the incident have been filed. Baldwin filed a lawsuit alleging negligence of some crew members, reports ABC News, and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has filed a suit against the prop provider.
What is Alec Baldwin charged with?
Baldwin was formally charged last month with involuntary manslaughter. Involuntary manslaughter refers to unintentional homicide, per the Deseret News.
The “30 Rock” actor claims he did not know there was a live round in the gun and did not intentionally fire it.
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” Luke Nikas, Baldwin’s lawyer, said in a statement on Thursday, per The New York Times. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”