Although the upcoming movie Rust is gearing up to resume filming this spring, the legal fallout over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 is far from over. Alec Baldwin, who was holding the prop gun that discharged the live round that fatally struck Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, as has armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Following Baldwin pleading not guilty to this charge, he and the movie’s producers have been sued by three crew members over how they were impacted by the shooting.
Dolly operator Ross Adding, set costumer Doran Curtin and key grip Reese Price have alleged in their lawsuit (via Variety) that they were near Alec Baldwin, specifically inside the church building of the Bonanza Creek Ranch, when the gun was fired, and they suffered “blast injuries” from the loud sound of the shot. It’s specifically noted that Halyna Hutchins fell to the ground in front of Curtin, and Curtin subsequently “put her hands on Hutchins’ stomach” and tried to “find the source of Hutchins’ pain and figure out what was going on.” Curtin was eventually ushered out of the church, and then she “collapsed from the effects of the blast and the shock of the shooting.”
The lawsuit also claims that the Rust producers hired people who’d been hit with previous safety complaints, and that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was hired to be the head armor on Rust despite not having much experience because the producers supposedly wanted a “quick and cheap production.” Furthermore, Alec Baldwin is accused in the lawsuit of not paying attention during the weapons training on Rust and not making sure the gun wasn’t loaded with a live round, as well as allegedly discharging said round.
Adding, Curtin and Price aren’t the first crew members who have sued Alec Baldwin following the Rust shooting. In November 2021, Serge Svetnoa, the chief of lighting, requested punitive damages in his lawsuit against Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions LLC because he said he was hit by fragments of the live round. Shortly thereafter, script supervisor Mamie Mitchell filed a lawsuit claiming that Baldwin “intentionally, without cause or excuse” cocked and fired the prop gun that killed Halyna Hutchins. Looking at the Rust production as a whole, Cherlyn Schaefer, the key medic, sued Hannah Gutierrez-Reed alongside its assistant director Dave Halls, its prop master Sarah Zachry and the production company, claiming that she suffered severe emotional distress from the incident after allegedly trying to provide medical assistance to Hutchins.
We’ll have to wait and see how this latest Rust lawsuit pans out, but as far as the involuntary manslaughter charge leveled against Alec Baldwin, the actor pleaded not guilty to it last week. Although the “firearm enhancement” charge that was leveled against him earlier this month has been dropped, if Baldwin is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, he could face a maximum of 18 months in prison. There’s no trial date set yet, but as Rust moves production to the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Livingston, Montana, the actor must follow some restrictions, which include him not being “allowed to drink alcohol, own a gun or talk to potential witnesses besides discussing the continuation of filming Rust.”
CinemaBlend will continue passing along the latest developments on the Rust legal saga, but for now, take a look through the 2023 new movie releases that have been slated. As of this writing, it’s unclear if Rust will be finished by the time the year is over or if it will be saved for 2024.
