A settlement with the family of the cinematographer who was slain on the set called for resuming production, with her widower serving as an executive producer.
After Alec Baldwin fatally shot the cinematographer on the “Rust” movie set in 2021, the film’s producers were hit with a spate of lawsuits claiming that the production had failed to follow proper safety protocols, increasing the likelihood of a tragedy.
The most prominent legal claim came from the family of the slain cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, 42. But in October, the production company behind “Rust” announced that it had reached a settlement with the family that called for resuming production on the film and making Ms. Hutchins’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, an executive producer.
At one point there were plans to begin filming again this month.
But on Thursday prosecutors in New Mexico announced that they intended to file involuntary manslaughter charges against the film’s star, Mr. Baldwin, who is also one of its producers, complicating plans for the project. Could a western about a grizzled outlaw on the run from law enforcement continue to feature an actor who is fighting his own criminal charges?
A person with knowledge of the project who was granted anonymity to describe production plans said that as of Thursday, the movie was still on track to be completed with Mr. Baldwin in the lead role and Joel Souza, who was wounded in the shooting, returning as director. The project will include on-set safety supervisors and union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons or any form of live ammunition, including blanks, the person said.
