The “Rust” Trailer Is Out

The trailer for the controversial movie Rust is out after more than four years since it began filming.

The film’s production was delayed because of the tragedy when Alec Baldwin accidentally misfired a prop gun that killed the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and injured Joel Souza, the film’s director.

Timeline and Reasons for Delay

May 29, 2020: It was announced that Alec Baldwin would produce and star in Rust, a Western based on a story he created with writer and director Joel Souza.

October 6, 2021: Filming of “Rust” began at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.

October 21, 2021: Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer for the movie, loaded a prop six-shot revolver with what she believed were “dummy” rounds, according to investigators and her defense attorney.

Production was suspended after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot when a gun being used as a prop was fired by Baldwin during the preparation for a scene. The same round injured Souza.

October 22, 2021: Baldwin released a statement calling the death a “tragic accident” and said he was fully cooperating with the investigation.

October 5, 2022: After a year, the family of Hutchins and Baldwin reached an undisclosed settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the actor and others. As part of the settlement, Matthew Hutchins, the cinematographer’s widower, was named an executive producer on the film.

January 31, 2023: Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter.

February 23, 2023: Baldwin pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges and was released on personal recognizance.

April 20, 2023: New Mexico special prosecutors dismissed the charges against Baldwin, citing “new facts” in the case.

April 24, 2023: The film's production resumed with Souza directing and Bianca Cline as cinematographer. Baldwin returned to the set to finish filming his scenes. Some cast members had been replaced because of scheduling conflicts.

May 22, 2023: The production of Rust was finished.

August 9, 2023: Gutierrez Reed pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.

January 19, 2024: Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury on charges of involuntary manslaughter. On January 31, 2024, he pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges for the second time.

February 22, 2024: The trial of film armorer Gutierrez Reed began.

April 15, 2024: Gutierrez Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months.

July 10, 2024: Baldwin's trial began, and on July 12, 2024, the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin was dismissed.

July 2024: Three months after Gutierrez Reed was sentenced, her defense team appealed for a new trial and the dismissal of her convictions because Baldwin’s charges were dismissed. In September 2024, the judge declined her motion to be retried.

November 20, 2024: Rust held its world premiere at Camerimage in Poland.

Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who finished the movie, told PEOPLE in 2024:

“I’m in awe of how much people admired [Hutchins] and just how talented she is. I think that cinematographers sometimes get relegated to being seen as technicians, but I think that Halyna elevated it to an art.”

Some Criticism

The film that premiered at the Camerimage Festival in Poland in November 2024 received a “polite” response, according to Variety.

There had been some criticism about the decision to release the film. Those who wonder why the movie was allowed to be released should know that a representative for Rust Movie Productions told NPR last year that the decision to move ahead was made “with the full support of Halyna’s family.”

An official statement about the movie:

“None of the producers of Rust stand to benefit financially from the film. The suggestion that those involved in completing Halyna Hutchins’ film were motivated by profit is disrespectful to those who worked tirelessly to honor her legacy.”

About the Movie

Rust is set in Kansas in 1880, where a 13-year-old orphan named Lucas (played by Patrick Scott McDermott) “accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to hang.”

Lucas’ grandfather, an aging outlaw Harland Rust (played by Alec Baldwin), breaks him out of jail, and they both escape to Mexico. A bounty hunter and a U.S. Marshal set out to capture the fugitives and bring them to justice.

The Trailer