Santa Fe’s district attorney has said a settlement between actor Alec Baldwin and the family of the cinematographer he shot during the filming of the Western “Rust” in 2021 had no impact on her eventual decision whether to file criminal charges in the case.
Halyna Hutchins was a cinematographer who died after a prop gun held by Baldwin was released during rehearsals for the western film Rust on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set in New Mexico in October 2021.
Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and others who worked on the production earlier this year.
The office of New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement, “If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law, then charges will be brought. No one is above the law.”
Mr. Hutchins said he has “no interest in engaging in recriminations or attributing 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.”
“In my 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,” Baldwin added.
Lawyers for Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins – the Hollywood film star – and other producers have confirmed this has been settled.
Rust will resume shooting in January 2023, with director Joel Souza – injured in the incident – heading the project, and Mr. Hutchins will be taking an executive producer role.
