A trailer has been released for “Rust,” Alec Baldwin‘s Western film that took a tragic turn when a prop gun being used by the actor accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza during production.
Set in 1880s Kansas, the film follows orphan Lucas McCalister (Patrick Scott McDermott), who “accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to hang,” according to its plot description. “In a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail and takes him on the run toward Mexico. As they flee across the unforgiving wilderness, the fugitive pair must outrun the determined U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and a ruthless bounty hunter named Preacher (Travis Fimmel).”
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The on-set death of Hutchins in October 2021 resulted in Baldwin being charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed in July of last year on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to turn over evidence. However, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is serving an 18-month sentence for Hutchins’ death after it was determined that a live bullet had been loaded into Baldwin’s prop gun.
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“Rust” first premiered at Poland’s Camerimage Festival in November, with director Souza and Bianca Cline, who took over cinematography duties following Hutchins’ death, in attendance. Baldwin was not invited to the event.
“We are here in a place that she loved so much, probably second only to being on set,” Souza said of Hutchins, who is honored in the film’s closing credits. “I want to thank you all for coming and for taking a few hours out of your day to come celebrate my friend and to celebrate her art and her talent. She really was something.”
“Rust” will be distributed theatrically by Falling Forward Films and on VOD by Ascending Media Group. It’s set to release on May 2.
Watch the trailer for “Rust” below.
