Tragedy has struck the set of Rust after award-winning actor Alec Baldwin "discharged" a prop gun that ended up killing the film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring its director.
According to Deadline, the tragic events occurred Thursday night on the film set of the upcoming Western feature Rust in New Mexico, where deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch. The department confirmed that cinematographer Hutchins died not long after being rushed to a hospital in Albuquerque while director Joel Souza remained in a local hospital with his condition unknown.
Baldwin was, of course, questioned shortly after by investigators but was released, a Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department official told Deadline. Reports indicate that deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch, where the entire set and location surrounding it went under lockdown. Baldwin was unaware of the type of ammunition in the prop gun. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event,” said the Cinematographers Guild’s National President, John Lindley. Baldwin, known for his work on the recent Mission: Impossible films and being a producer, broke his silence on social media about the unfortunate events.
Although plenty of more details are likely to arise as the investigation continues, with the prop master, who is responsible for the film's firearms and overall safety on a set, to be heavily questioned, Rust's production of course has been delayed for an unspecified period of time. Hutchins was an AFI graduate from the class of 2015, where she worked on numerous short films while also being behind the camera for the feature Archenemy starring Joe Manganiello. She was also awarded “rising star” by the American Cinematographer in 2019.
While this tragic event is rare, it isn't the first fatal shooting that has occurred on a movie set. Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was killed in 1984 on the set of the TV series Cover Up. When filming took a delay, Hexum, who was preparing for a scene where he loaded (blank) bullets into a handgun, accidentally shot himself in the head. In 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts and actor icon Bruce Lee, tragically died on the set of The Crow after being struck in the abdomen by a prop gun's dummy bullet. Although all incidents were determined as accidents, it furthers the importance of safety in a film involving action and how one should always assume a gun is loaded even if they know it isn't.
Rust centers on Harland Rust, an outlaw who sets out to break his convicted grandson out of prison after being sentenced for an accidental murder. However, with its production indefinitely delayed, there is no saying if the film will even continue on.
Source: Deadline