According to several media reports, producers are looking for locations not in New Mexico, but in California, after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Helena Hutchins, to resume production of the film “Rust”.
By the deadline reported late Wednesday, Palm Springs and locations near the Nevada border will be scouted next week. The publication said no final decision has been made on where shooting will take place when “Rust” production resumes in January.
“Production alone will not return to New Mexico. Production in other locations, including California, is being considered, but no decision has been made,” Melina Spadone, attorney for Rust Movie Productions LLC, said in a statement to reporters.
“It’s emotionally difficult for the crew and cast to return to the same place (where Hutchins was shot),” an unnamed source close to the production told Deadline.
Hutchins, 42, was murdered on October 21, 2021, while star Alec Baldwin, who is also the producer of the western film, was helping prepare the camera angles.
Baldwin fired a weapon that should have only had empty rounds, but fired a lead shot that hit Hutchins’ chest, then went into the shoulder of director Joel Souza, who survived.
The film was being filmed in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin and Hutchins’ family settled a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month, with Hutchins’ widower now serving as the film’s executive producer.
The New Mexico prosecutor handling the case said civil settlement would not be a factor in whether she could still pursue charges over the shooting.
The local district attorney’s office also noted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the matter.