Will 'Rust' ever be released? Halyna Hutchins' death may mean 'end of the road' for film
The tragic accident that killed promising cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has left a huge scar on her family and friends and now also actor Alec Baldwin. Following the fatal shooting, the star was reportedly "hysterical and absolutely inconsolable for hours." The star hasn't been seen in public since he was snapped consoling Hutchins' family on October 23 in a hotel in Santa Fe. Meanwhile, the future for 'Rust' also remains uncertain as production was suspended immediately after the shooting incident.
The movie, which stars Jensen Ackles and Frances Fisher alongside Alec Baldwin, was a directorial venture of filmmaker Joel Souza, who had also been injured in the misfire that killed Halyna Hutchins. Amid speculations about the future of 'Rust', a crew member has remarked that the film "will never be finished". The unnamed member further added, "None of us expect this movie to be finished. Ever. We know this is the end of the road for Rust sadly."
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The crew member also stated, "Not only is our director still [recovering], but there will be lawsuits I’m sure and a lot of other factors that will prevent this movie from ever being finished."
'Rust' was a small budget movie, with only $7 million invested in the same. The production was affected time and again due to appalling working conditions and questionable safety measures. In fact, the working conditions were so bad that the crew had staged a walkout on the very day of the shooting incident, hours before the mishap.
Gun inspections were not properly conducted on the film set. According to Los Angeles Times, one of the camera operators had earlier complained to a production manager about gun safety issues on the set. "We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe,” the complaint read. Another person from the set commented, "Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting."
While Halyna Hutchins' death has prompted many productions to revisit their safety mandates and work ethics, the same cannot be said with assurance for 'Rust' itself. The movie's future now hangs by a thread as leading star Alec Baldwin himself canceled all his projects in hand.
Legal experts have predicted that the movie might lose out on insurance coverage if the investigation finds that the safety protocols were violated. There are several instances reported from the set that might point towards unsafe situations arising time and again. Baldwin ignored the golden rule of gun safety by pointing the prop at someone and also said the gun should never have been loaded with live ammunition in the first place. "There should have never been live rounds on a movie set, that's number one. Number two is every single person on a movie set has a right to inspect a weapon before it's fired. And number three is, there is no reason to ever put a person in front of a weapon that's firing," Zak Knight, a pyrotechnic and special effects engineer who is a member of Local 44, said.