Alec Baldwin and “Rust” Producers Reach Settlement in Wrongful-Death Lawsuit with Family of Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot during the filming of “Rust” in October 2021. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident,” her husband said in a statement. (Credit…Swen Studios/Via Reuters)

The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie “Rust” last year, has reached a settlement in its wrongful-death lawsuit against producers, including Mr. Baldwin, lawyers for the parties said on Wednesday.

Production of the film will resume in January, with Matthew Hutchins, Ms. Hutchins’s widower, as executive producer, according to the terms of the settlement. The film will be directed by Joel Souza, the movie’s original director.

Ms. Hutchins was killed when Mr. Baldwin was practicing with a gun he had been told was not loaded with live ammunition; it went off, striking her and Mr. Souza, who was wounded. Up to four people could face criminal charges, the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office recently indicated.

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The suit, which was filed in February by Ms. Hutchins’s husband, her young son and the personal representative of her estate, accused Mr. Baldwin and the other defendants of reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures that endangered the crew, including failing to follow basic industry standard safety checks and gun safety rules.

“The filming of ‘Rust,’ which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board, in January 2023,” Mr. Hutchins said in a statement about the settlement that was released through his lawyer. He added, “I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”

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SOURCE: The New York Times, Graham Bowley and Julia Jacobs