OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
After the tragic shooting death of a woman on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie “Rust,” word has now come that the project may never be finished.
“None of us expect this movie to be finished. Ever,” an unnamed worker said to The Sun, The Daily Mail reported. “We know this is the end of the road for ‘Rust ‘sadly.”
“Maybe way down the line it will get picked up again but right now, there’s no way it’s going to continue getting made. If by a miracle it ever is though, the movie will absolutely be dedicated to Halyna,” the worker said.
The unnamed worker made the comments as the movie’s director who was also shot by Baldwin, Joel Souza, 48, is recovering from his injuries.
“Not only is our director still fighting for his life, but there will be lawsuits I’m sure and a lot of other factors that will prevent this movie from ever being finished,” the worker said.
Rust was being made on a $7 million budget – tiny, by Hollywood standards, where a superhero movie can cost upwards of $300 million.
The production had been hit by walkouts amid staff mistreatment, and will now forever be associated with the tragic killing of a crew member on set, potentially putting people off going to see it even if it were completed.
Baldwin is the star of the movie, with the horrific tragedy that has swept the set likely making it difficult for anyone to watch his character on-screen without thinking of what happened should the movie miraculously make it to theaters.
Some experts have predicted that the movie’s insurers may refuse to pay out if it emerges that safety protocols weren’t followed properly, potentially ruining its financial backers.
The Crow, the 1993 movie which saw star Brandon Lee shot dead while filming, was completed and went on to become a financial success.
The comments from the worker come as legal experts have said Baldwin, 63, could face manslaughter charges in the death, The New York Post reported.
“As an executive producer, you are in a position of control and you can get prosecuted criminally,” Joseph Costa, an attorney with Costa Law in Los Angeles, said. “It’s the equivalent of drinking and driving, meaning someone may not have intended to cause great harm but they do.”
Erlinda Johnson, a former state and federal prosecutor and current criminal attorney, said he could be liable for involuntary manslaughter.
“All the state needs to demonstrate is that he was engaged in a lawful, but dangerous act and did not act with due caution,” the attorney said. “That’s what the state has to prove for involuntary manslaughter, which is a fourth-degree felony with a maximum penalty of up to 18 months in prison.”
She said Baldwin could defend himself by saying that someone else handed him the gun, “but then, well it was incumbent upon him, since he was handling the gun, to make sure there were no rounds.”
“Clearly someone didn’t do their due diligence. They should have been checking those guns to make sure there were no live rounds,” she said.
Denise Bohdan, a defense attorney from Los Angeles, said that “everyone will be sued,” which may be the least of Baldwin’s issues.
“Anyone running that set will be sued, especially when they find out who specifically was cutting corners on the set,” she said.
“Yes, Alec Baldwin was the main producer but it might be found out that another producer did more to cut corners. I don’t think there will be anything as bad as a murder charge but this is going to be a legal nightmare for Baldwin,” she said.
“The facts have yet to come out but as to potential criminal charges they will look to his possible negligence,” Zweiback, Fiset & Coleman criminal attorney Rachel Fiset said. “His problems don’t lie in what he did as an actor. It will certainly come out that he thought he was firing a blank. The real issue is his role as a producer and the safety protocols – or lack thereof – on the set. If real negligence is proven, that could result in criminal charges.”
