Rust (upcoming film)
Rust | |
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![]() Cover page of the script | |
Directed by | Joel Souza |
Screenplay by | Joel Souza |
Story by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography |
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Production companies |
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Distributed by | The Avenue |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $8 million[1] |
Rust is an upcoming American Western film written and directed by Joel Souza. The film stars Alec Baldwin (who also produced and co-wrote the story with Souza), Patrick Scott McDermott, Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher, and Josh Hopkins.[2]
In October 2021, production was suspended after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot when a gun being used as a prop was fired by Baldwin during the preparation for a scene; Souza was injured by the same round.
Filming was set to resume in January 2023 amidst ongoing lawsuits, but Baldwin was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter that month, putting his further involvement with the project into question. After charges were dropped against Baldwin on April 20, 2023, filming resumed that same day,[3][4] and concluded the following month.[5] The charges against Baldwin were reinstated in January 2024.[6] Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison on April 15, 2024. Other legal proceedings are ongoing, including civil charges against Baldwin and others.[7][8] On July 12, 2024, the criminal case against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice after it was found the state withheld evidence from Baldwin's defense team.[9]
Premise
[edit]In 1880s Kansas, aging outlaw Harland Rust comes out of hiding to rescue his thirteen-year-old nephew Lucas Hollister, after he is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. Now fugitives, the pair have to outrun the vicious bounty hunter Fenton "Preacher" Lang.[10][11]
Cast
[edit]- Alec Baldwin as Harland Rust
- Patrick Scott McDermott as Lucas Hollister, Rust's nephew.[12] Brady Noon was originally cast as Lucas but exited when production resumed.[13][12]
- Travis Fimmel as Fenton "Preacher" Lang, a bounty hunter after Rust.
- Frances Fisher as Lucas' grandaunt
- Jake Busey as Drum Parker[14]
Additionally, Josh Hopkins and Devon Werkheiser[15] are cast in undisclosed roles.[16][17]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]In May 2020, it was announced that Alec Baldwin would produce and star in Rust, a Western based on a story he created with writer and director Joel Souza.[10] Baldwin told The Hollywood Reporter that he was elated to work with Souza after missing the opportunity to star in Crown Vic (2019). He compared the screenplay to the film Unforgiven (1992), and said it was inspired by a true story. When asked about his gun slinging and horse riding skills, he said: "They're always at the ready. I'm an actor of the old school. So if you read my resume – my motorcycle riding, my French, juggling, my horseback riding, my gunplay – is all right at my fingertips at all times."[18]
Rust was being produced on a $6–7 million budget and has been described as a "passion project" for Baldwin.[19][20][21] The film's distribution rights were sold to The Avenue for $2 million during the pre-production phase.[22] Travis Fimmel, Brady Noon, and Frances Fisher joined the cast in September 2021,[23] with Jensen Ackles being cast the following month.[24] The production involved approximately 150 crew members, half of them local, 22 principal and 230 background actors from New Mexico.[25][26] The production had a filming schedule of 21 days.[22][27] Filming began in New Mexico on October 6, 2021.[28]
Shooting incident
[edit]On the morning of October 21, 2021, which was to be the twelfth day of filming, seven unionized members of the film's camera crew collected their belongings at approximately 6:30 a.m. MT in a walkout.[29] They claim they were told to leave the set, with a producer threatening to call the police, and were replaced.[30][31] According to a statement given to TheWrap by an anonymous insider, several crew members took a number of prop guns off-set that day, including the firearm involved in the incident, to pass the time shooting at beer cans with live ammunition.[32] After a lunch break, the prop guns had been returned.[32] It is not clear if the firearms were checked again.[33] On October 26, the Santa Fe County district attorney said these claims were still unconfirmed.[34]
Later that day, the cast and crew were rehearsing a gunfight scene taking place inside of a church at the Bonanza Creek Ranch. Firearms and ammunition were retrieved from a locked safe and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed placed three guns to be used in filming on a cart.[29] Among them were a plastic gun that could not shoot live ammunition, a modified weapon that could not fire any type of ammunition, and a solid-frame .45 Colt revolver replica made by Pietta.[29][35][36][37]
According to a search warrant, the guns were briefly checked by Gutierrez-Reed, before assistant director David Halls took the Pietta revolver from the prop cart and handed it to Baldwin.[38][39] In a subsequent affidavit, Halls said the safety protocol regarding this firearm was such that Halls would open the loading gate of the revolver and rotate the cylinder to expose the chambers so he could inspect them himself. According to the affidavit, Halls said he did not check all cylinder chambers, but he recalled seeing three rounds in the cylinder at the time. After the shooting, Halls said in the affidavit, Gutierrez-Reed retrieved the weapon and opened it, and Halls said that he saw four rounds which were plainly blanks, and one which could have been the remaining shell of a discharged live round.[40] In the warrant, it is further stated that Halls announced the term "cold gun", meaning that it did not contain live rounds.[38] Halls's lawyer, Lisa Torraco, later sought to assert that he did not take the gun off the cart and hand it to Baldwin as reported, but when pressed by a reporter to be clear, she refused to repeat that assertion.[41]
B-camera operator Reid Russell was situated on a camera dolly, looking at a monitor with Hutchins and Souza both nearby. The scene involved Baldwin's character removing a gun from its holster and pointing it toward the camera.[29][33] The trio behind the monitor were two feet (0.6 m) from the muzzle of the firearm and none of them were wearing protective gear such as noise-canceling headphones or safety goggles.[29]
The trio behind the monitor began repositioning the camera to remove a shadow, and Baldwin began explaining to the crew how he planned to draw the firearm.[33] He said, "So, I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it, and go, 'Bang!'"[29] He removed it from the holster, and the revolver discharged a single time. Baldwin denied pulling the trigger of the gun, while ABC News described a later FBI report stating that the gun could only fire if the trigger was pulled.[42][43] Halls was quoted by his attorney Lisa Torraco as saying that Baldwin did not pull the trigger, and that Baldwin's finger was never within the trigger guard during the incident.[44] When the gun fired, the projectile traveled towards the three behind the monitor. It struck Hutchins in the chest, traveled through her body, and then hit Souza in the shoulder.[30][38][45] Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell called 9-1-1 at 1:46 p.m. MT and emergency crews appeared three minutes later.[29] Footage of the incident was not recorded.[35]
Hutchins was flown by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead.[46] Souza was treated by EMS and transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he was admitted and released by the following morning.[47]
As a result of the incident, production on Rust was suspended indefinitely,[46] though co-producer Anjul Nigam was confident the film would resume production once the investigation ended. However, Nigam later clarified that he meant to express optimism and hope, rather than confidence, as he stated that many involved in the production hope to honor Hutchins by completing her final work.[48][49]Spider bite incident
[edit]In November 2021, weeks after the shooting incident, lamp operator and pipe rigger Jason Miller was bitten in the arm by a brown recluse spider while closing the set. Miller suffered necrosis and sepsis. He was hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries to avoid amputation of his arm.[50][51][52]
Resumed production
[edit]In October 2022, the Hutchins family settled the lawsuit,[53] with filming set to resume in January 2023 in California, with Matthew Hutchins, Halyna's husband, as an executive producer.[54][55] Many of the film's crew gave mixed reactions towards the news, with some supporting it and planning on resuming their work on it, but others condemning the decision and deciding not to return.[56] On January 18, filming was delayed again after New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies decided to charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter.[57] In February 2023, it was reported that filming would resume in spring 2023 with Souza directing and Bianca Cline as cinematographer. Grant Hill was added as producer.[58] The new shooting location was reported to be Yellowstone Film Ranch in Livingston, Montana.[59] Producers stated that the use of working weapons or ammunition would be prohibited.[58]
Production of the film resumed on April 20, 2023.[12][60] The same day, it was reported that prosecutors had informed Baldwin that the charges against him were being dropped and the new, updated cast was released.[4] Meanwhile, Patrick Scott McDermott was confirmed to have replaced Noon.[13] By May 2023, the character played by Josh Hopkins was confirmed to have replaced that of Ackles, who had left because of scheduling conflicts.[17] On April 24, 2023, Baldwin returned to the set to finish filming his scenes,[61] with the production concluding on May 22, 2023.[5]
Release
[edit]Rust is scheduled to be released in the United States by The Avenue.[22]
Marketing
[edit]A first look at the film was released on January 2, 2024, showcasing Halyna Hutchins' work on the cinematography and her visual style.[62]
See also
[edit]References
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- ^ "Alec Baldwin's Rust resumes filming after on-set tragedy". BBC News. April 20, 2023. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Melas, Chloe (April 20, 2023). "Prosecutors plan to dismiss charges against Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' shooting, Baldwin's attorney tells CNN". CNN. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Paul, Larisha (May 23, 2023). "Alec Baldwin Reaches End of 'Long and Difficult Road' as 'Rust' Wraps Filming". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Jacobs, Julia (January 19, 2024). "Alec Baldwin Is Charged, Again, With Involuntary Manslaughter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
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- ^ Jacobs, Julia (July 12, 2024). "Case Against Alec Baldwin Is Dismissed Over Withheld Evidence". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
- ^ a b N'Duka, Amanda (May 29, 2020). "Alec Baldwin To Produce & Star In 'Rust' Western With 'Crown Vic's Joel Souza Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
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- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 28, 2023). "Jake Busey Saddles Up For Alec Baldwin's 'Rust'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
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We understand that the $7M production of Rust was 50% completed at the time of the tragic incident.
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Rust had the budget of an average episode of a high-end drama series, about $6 million-$7 million, and a tight 21-day filming schedule.
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- ^ a b c Romero, Simon; Jacobs, Julia (October 24, 2021). "Alec Baldwin Was Rehearsing Pointing Gun at Camera, Affidavit Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
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External links
[edit]- 2020s American films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2020s Western (genre) films
- American Western (genre) films
- Films about capital punishment
- Films about outlaws
- Films produced by Grant Hill (producer)
- Films set in Kansas
- Films set in the 1880s
- Films shot in Montana
- Films shot in New Mexico
- Upcoming English-language films
- Upcoming films