The Alec Baldwin-starring Rust is headed to the Cannes sales market nearly 18 months after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The Western was first announced three years ago, but production halted after a revolver held by Baldwin was discharged on set, killing Hutchins and wounding writer/director Joel Souza. Both Baldwin and Souza are producers on the project. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film has returned to the Cannes market with backing from Goodfellas, formerly Wild Bunch International.
Production halted on Oct. 21, 2021, at Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico after the fatal shooting. In Feb. 2022, Hutchins’ family filed a wrongful death suit against Baldwin and “others responsible for the safety on set.” The legal developments drew much attention and prompted industry-wide calls to ban live ammunition from film sets.
Eventually, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, as he was holding the gun that fired the shot. The weapon was assumed to be loaded with dummy bullets but actually contained a live round. The bullet passed through Souza’s chest and hit Hutchins, who was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead. Baldwin maintained his innocence, and the manslaughter charges against him were dropped last month, fully exonerating the actor.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the head armorer on the set of Rust, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter. It is unclear if the charges against her will also be dropped.
Apparently, the sales and production company Goodfellas took over the project from Highland Film Group and seeks to sell it on the Cannes market this season. The film’s story traces the journey of an infamous outlaw (played by Baldwin) who comes out of hiding to stop his grandson from behind hanged for murder.
Filming on Rust resumed last month at Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana. Matthew Hutchins, widower of Halyna, was made an executive producer on the film as part of a settlement to resolve the wrongful death suit. Sources expect Rust to finish filming in late May, so expect movement on the sales side soon.