Alec Baldwin will continue to work on the film “Rust,” despite criminal charges

• Alec Baldwin would be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
• Baldwin, 64, and director Joel Souza are still committed to finishing the movie.
• Production on the movie was supposed to get back up this month.

After the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Thursday that Alec Baldwin would be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a source confirmed that production of Rust will resume.

According to a source who spoke to news producer/star Baldwin, 64, and director Joel Souza are still committed to finishing the movie despite new safety precautions that include a ban on live ammo and operational firearms.

Instead of returning to the New Mexico areas where it was originally filmed, the Times reports that places in California are being investigated.

Production on the movie was supposed to get back up this month after Baldwin and Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, reached a wrongful death settlement in October 2022.

In a statement at the time, Matthew, who has a 10-year-old son named Andros with Hutchins, revealed the case’s resolution as well as the fact that he had agreed to executive produce Rust.

“No, I’m not interested in making excuses or assigning blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). We all agree that Halyna’s passing was a sad accident. I appreciate that the entertainment industry and producers have united to honor Halyna’s final work “The statement from October 2022 said.

42-year-old Hutchins was shot dead in October 2021 using real ammunition from a pretend gun that Baldwin was holding.

According to Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, Souza, 49, was also hurt when one of the rounds impacted him. However, no charges will be brought in relation to this occurrence.

Along with Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, an armorer for Rust, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to Carmack-Altwies and Reeb. Before the month is over, the charges will be formally filed.

Baldwin has insisted that he did not operate the faux gun’s trigger.

In a statement released on Thursday, his attorney Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel stated: “This choice distorts the unfortunate loss of Halyna Hutchins and amounts to a horrible injustice. There was no reason for Mr. Baldwin to think the rifle or the film set contained a live bullet. He trusted the experts with whom he worked when they assured him that the rifle was empty of live ammunition.”

“We will fight these charges, and we will win,” Nikas added.

Attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed Jason Bowles and Todd J. Bullion released the following statement: “Hannah has always been deeply saddened by this horrible accident and is still quite emotional about it. She did not, however, kill someone accidentally.”

“These charges are the result of a very flawed investigation and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts. We intend to bring the full truth to light and believe Hannah will be exonerated of wrongdoing by a jury,” they added.

Assistant director David Halls entered into a plea deal for the allegation of careless use of a deadly weapon, according to a statement from the district attorney.

Lisa Torrance, Halls’ attorney, commented on the plea agreement: “Mr. Halls consented to a minor offense charge. This is the greatest outcome for Mr. Halls and the case, barring any charges at all. Now that this issue is behind him, he can enable attention to turn to the shooting victims and reforming the sector in question so that accidents of this nature never occur again.”

“Mr. Halls denies handing a firearm to Mr. Baldwin,” Torracco added.

“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice,” Carmack-Altwies said in her statement after announcing the charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed.

Reeb went on: “Halyna Hutchins would still be alive today if any one of these three individuals—Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, or David Halls—had carried out their duties. It’s that easy. On the Rust movie set, there was a pattern of criminal disregard for safety, according to the evidence. Filming locations in New Mexico must respect our state’s commitment to both public safety and the safety of firearms.”

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