On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally wounded on the set of Rust after a prop gun held by lead actor Alec Baldwin misfired a live round. By January 31 of this year, Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were formally charged with involuntary manslaughter, and the “mini-trial” was set to begin in New Mexico in just a few weeks. However, word’s now come in that the criminal charges against Baldwin are being dropped.
This update comes to us from Deadline, which reports that special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are expected to file paperwork that will dismiss the charges against the 30 Rock alum “without prejudice.” The prosecutors are set to continue their investigation into the tragic incident that unfolded at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, so there is the possibility that the case could be resumed at some point. It was also mentioned that the charges leveled against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are not being dropped, this, as the publication put it, “keeping the probe open and retaining subpoena power for prosecutors going forward.”
This development comes roughly a month after Alec Baldwin clapped back at “the government” in a filing that took issue with the prosecuting team’s handling of the Rust case. The actor has repeatedly said that he did not pull the trigger of the gun that hit Halyna Hutchins, and both he and Gutierrez-Reed pled not guilty when they were charged with involuntary manslaughter. There was also a period where Baldwin could have faced an extra five years in prison due to a “firearm enhancement” charge, but said charge was later dropped by the prosecutors to avoid “litigious distractions.”
The timing of Baldwin’s charges being dropped is also interesting because Rust is resuming production, albeit now in Montana. However, Deadline’s sources say that his is “purely coincidence.” Furthermore, even with the charges Hannah Gutierrez-Reed being retained, it’s now looking unlikely that the “mini-trial” mentioned earlier will begin as scheduled in early May since the prosecutors are pursuing new leads and evidence in their investigation. It’s also important to mention that last October, Hutchins’ family settled its wrongful death suit against Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions LLC, with that deal including her husband being made an executive producer on the movie and a documentary being made about the late cinematographer.
As for Rust itself, the movie follows Baldwin’s Harland Rust, an outlaw in 1880s Kansas who has to come out of hiding to save his 13-year-old grandson from being hanged for an accidental murder, resulting in the two of them going on the run and being chased by both law enforcement and a bounty hunter. Baldwin’s castmates include Travis Fimmel, Brady Noon, Frances Fisher, Jensen Ackles and Devon Werkheiser. It’s unclear when Rust will be released, but while we wait for that news and other updates about the production, see what’s slated for this year by looking through the 2023 movie release schedule.
