‘Rust’ producer says movie will be completed — report

The film set of “Rust,” where Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun, is seen from a distance, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S., Oct. 23, 2021. Image: Reuters/Kevin Mohatt via Reuters

A producer of the movie “Rust,” whose set saw the fatal accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last year, said the movie will be completed, the Hollywood Reporter said on Monday.

Hutchins was killed in October when a revolver that actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with during filming in New Mexico fired a live round that hit her and movie director Joel Souza. Souza was wounded but survived.

“We’re confident we’ll be able to complete the movie,” Anjul Nigam, one of the producers, was quoted as saying by the publication.

A representative of Nigam did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last month, the state of New Mexico fined Rust Movie Productions the maximum amount possible, $137,000, for what it called “willful” safety lapses leading to Hutchins’ death. The company said it disagreed with the findings.

Baldwin, also a producer on the film, has been named in several lawsuits filed in connection with Hutchins’ death, including one by her husband.

Baldwin, 64, has denied responsibility for Hutchins’ death and said live rounds should never have been allowed onto the set of the Western film at Bonanza Creek Ranch.

The actor also has argued in court papers that an indemnification clause in his contract shields him from personal liability. JB

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