Lawsuit settled, film to resume after Alec Baldwin shooting on ‘Rust’ set
By ANDREW DALTON, AP Entertainment Writer
Posted:
Updated:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of a cinematographer shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film “Rust” has agreed to settle a lawsuit against the actor and the movie’s producers, and production will resume on the project in January.
“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust including Alec Baldwin,” said a statement Wednesday from Matthew Hutchins, widow of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with their 9-year-old son Andros. “As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed. The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board, in January 2023.”
The agreement is a rare piece of positive news for Baldwin, who has had a turbulent year since the Oct. 21 shooting. The actor, who was also a producer on the film, was pointing a gun at Hutchins when it went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. They had been inside a small church during setup for filming a scene.
He announced the settlement agreement in an Instagram post.
“Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son,” Baldwin said in the post. “We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”
Baldwin has said the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger. But a recent FBI forensic report found the weapon could not not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.
New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator determined the shooting was an accident following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports.
“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” Matthew Hutchins said in the statement. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
The deal does not mean the legal troubles surrounding the film and the shooting are over.
At least four other lawsuits brought by crew members remain, and the state of New Mexico has granted funds to pay for possible criminal prosecutions.
Baldwin is also a defendant in an unrelated defamation lawsuit brought by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan.
The Hutchins family lawsuit, filed in February, was harshly critical of Baldwin, the films producers, and the other defendants: unit production manager Katherine Walters, assistant director David Halls, armorer Hannah Guttierez Reed, and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney.
Their “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures led to the death of Halyna Hutchins,” plaintiffs’ attorney Brian Panish said at a news conference.
According to the lawsuit, had proper protocols been followed, “Halyna Hutchins would be alive and well, hugging her husband and 9-year-old son.”
The lawsuit said industry standards call for using a rubber or similar prop gun during the setup, and there was no call for a real gun.
It also said that both Baldwin and Halls, who handed him the gun, should have checked the revolver for live bullets.
John Minchillo
FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, photo Alec Baldwin watches the men's singles final of the US Open tennis championships in New York. A prop firearm discharged by veteran actor Alec Baldwin, who is starring and producing a Western movie, killed his director of photography and injured the director Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 at the movie set outside Santa Fe, N.M., the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said.(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
New Line Cinema
The 2012 musical comedy isn’t one of Alec Baldwin’s better-known movies, and he seems content to keep it that way. The same year it was released, he called it “a complete disaster” in an interview with The Wrap.
Bonnie Biess/Getty Images/New York Daily News/TNS
The most famous of the Baldwin clan has a notoriously fraught relationship with the paps, once even suggesting that paparazzi should be waterboarded in 2012. He was accused of striking a photographer that same year.
Chris Pizzello
Betty White, left, speaks at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Looking on from right are Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Famously hot-tempered Alec Baldwin worked as a nightclub bouncer before hitting it big—at New York City’s famed Studio 54, no less.
Overall wins: 8 Total nominations: 20 TV wins: 8 Movie wins: 0 The actor with the most SAG Award wins is Alec Baldwin. He has been nominated 20 times in his acting career and has won eight of them. His first win came in 2007 in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in “30 Rock.” He went on to win the same award in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. To round out his eight wins, “30 Rock” won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2009.
Actor Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas, a yoga instructor, married in 2011 and have four children together. Hilaria says she didn’t know anything about the "30 Rock” actor when they met. After learning Baldwin was pre-diabetic, his health-conscious wife helped the actor adopt a healthier diet to shed 30 pounds.
Season 32, Episode 5 IMDb rating: 7.6 IMDb votes: 93 Airdate: November 11, 2006 In 2006, “SNL” had assembled one of its strongest casts ever, thanks to a lineup that included Andy Samberg, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, and Bill Hader. This particular episode included Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan guest-starring in Baldwin's monologue.
Santa Actor: Alec Baldwin
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 80%
Santa Claus goes full fantasy in this epic that encompasses all the holiday patrons — the Easter Bunny, the Boogeyman, even the Tooth Fairy — as they band together to fight an ancient, recently awakened evil. While it’s a good movie, it’s not very Christmasy with Alec Baldwin’s hardened, battle-worn Santa. When he laughs, his belly shakes like a bowl full of cement.
Chris Pizzello
Alec Baldwin attends the "The Boss Baby" panel on day 1 of Comic-Con International on Thursday, July 21, 2016, in San Diego. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Chris Pizzello
Alec Baldwin accepts the award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for "Saturday Night Live" at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Will Heath
This Jan. 14, 2017 photo released by NBC shows Alec Baldwin President Elect Donald J. Trump in a sketch on "Saturday Night Live," in New York. (Will Heath/NBC via AP)
Mark J. Terrill
Alec Baldwin, left, and Betty White are seen on stage at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Evan Agostini
Actors Alec Baldwin, left, and Amy Sedaris pose together at the world premiere of "The Boss Baby: Family Business" at the SVA Theatre on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Evan Agostini
Actor Alec Baldwin, right, and wife Hilaria Baldwin attend the world premiere of "The Boss Baby: Family Business" at the SVA Theatre on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Evan Agostini
Actor Alec Baldwin, center, poses with his wife Hilaria Baldwin and their children at the world premiere of "The Boss Baby: Family Business" at the SVA Theatre on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File
FILE - This aerial photo shows part of the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set in Santa Fe, N.M., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died from a gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin.
