A settlement has been struck between the family of the movie's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and Alec Baldwin and the Rust producers. The arrangement was revealed on Wednesday and is awaiting court clearance. The agreement specifies that the movie's original director, Joel Souza, will take over when filming resumes in January. The executive producer will be Halyna's widower Matthew Hutchins.
The couple's young son, Andros, and attorney Matthew filed the wrongful-death lawsuit in February against producers, including Baldwin, and crew members, alleging negligence in relation to Halyna's death on October 21. They cited reckless behavior on the set, cost-cutting, and the improper use of firearms. At the Bonanza Creek Ranch outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, she was preparing for a shot when Baldwin, the movie's leading man, was carrying a gun that fired. Baldwin insisted he did not pull the trigger, but the weapon did, and a live round, not a fake or prop cartridge, was fired through Halyna's torso and into Souza's shoulder. After being evacuated to the hospital, she was pronounced dead. Souza bounced back.
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"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," Matthew said in a statement to Yahoo Entertainment. "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."
Baldwin commented on Instagram, writing, "We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. 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."
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In December, Baldwin told ABC News that his legal counsel had informed him that it was unlikely he would face charges.“I have been told by people who are in the know, in terms of even inside the state, that it’s highly unlikely that I would be charged with anything criminally," he said.