In a tragic accident, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured in an incident involving a prop gun on the set of the Netflix feature western “Rust” which was filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Variety reports that according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office, the film’s star and producer Alec Baldwin allegedly discharged the prop firearm. They said in a statement (via TMZ) that according to investigators at the time a scene was being filmed involving the use of blanks in the prop. Detectives are now investigating how and what type of projectile or projectiles were discharged.
Hutchins’ death was confirmed by the Sheriff’s office, while Souza is reportedly receiving emergency care at a hospital in Santa Fe. No charges have been filed and the set is allegedly on lockdown. The incident was reported at 1:50 p.m. Mountain Time.
Hutchins was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Albuquerque where she died. She had just started her feature career, was considered a rising star in that field, and had recently filmed the 2020 Joe Manganiello-led “Archenemy”.
Frances Fisher, Jensen Ackles, Brady Noon and Travis Fimmel also star in the film about an infamous outlaw whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of an accidental murder. Ackles plays a U.S. Marshal and Fimmel plays a bounty hunter on the pair’s tail.
The ranch location contains five movie sets and been used in dozens of movies including “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Thor,” “Lonesome Dove,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” “Hostiles,” “Silverado,” “Only the Brave,” “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” and the remakes of “3:10 to Yuma” and “The Lone Ranger”.
Update: Deadline has posted a statement from a spokesperson for the film’s production company: “The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones, We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”