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Actor Alec Baldwin and the family of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins have reached an undisclosed settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the shooting on the set of the movie “Rust.”
The lawsuit was filed in February in Santa Fe against the actor who accidentally shot and killed Hutchins on the movie set, CNN reported.
The lawsuit alleged numerous standards violations against the producers and key members of the crew.
As part of the settlement the movie will be made and Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, will be an executive producer.
“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. 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. I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). 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,” he said.
“Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation,” Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, said.
And Joel Souza, the director of the movie who was shot and injured in the incident, is also set to be back.
“Those of us who were lucky enough to have spent time with Halyna knew her to be exceedingly talented, kind, creative, and a source of incredible positive energy. I only wish the world had gotten to know her under different circumstances, as it surely would have through her amazing work. In my own attempts to heal, any decision to return to finish directing the film could only make sense for me if it was done with the involvement of Matt and the Hutchins family. Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf,” he said.
“We are pleased the parties came together to resolve this matter, which, subject to court approval, marks an important step forward in celebrating Halyna’s life and honoring her work.” The attorneys for Rust Movie Productions, LLC said.
Baldwin could be in a ton of trouble for the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of his movie “Rust.”
As many as four people, including Baldwin, could potentially face charges in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office said, The New York Times reported.
The district attorney’s office speculated on the possible charges in a request to state officials late last month that asked for additional funding to cover the costs that would be incurred if charges were brought, which would result in several high-profile trials.
While the district attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, made it clear in her funding request that her office had not yet decided whether to bring charges — “If charges are warranted,” she began one sentence — the funding request also went into greater detail than she has in the past, noting that her office could charge up to four people.
A document attached to the funding request said, “One of the possible defendants is well-known movie actor Alec Baldwin.”
In September, after denying he had pulled the trigger of the gun, the FBI found that Baldwin fired the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza in October 2021, ABC News reported.
The actor has insisted that he did not pull the trigger, but the report said that there was no way the bullet could have been fired if the trigger was not pulled.
With the hammer in the quarter- and half-cock positions, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” the report stated.
With the hammer fully cocked, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger while the working internal components were intact and functional,” the report stated.
With the hammer de-cocked on a loaded chamber, the gun was able to detonate a primer “without a pull of the trigger when the hammer was struck directly,” which is normal for this type of revolver, the report stated.
