The movie set of Alec Baldwin’s movie Rust, was moved to the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Paradise Valley, Mont., an eight-hour drive south of Calgary.
“Alec Baldwin was spotted carrying a coffee cup and briefcase as he headed to the new Rust movie set in Montana Friday, one day after involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped against him by the Santa Fe County District Attorney in New Mexico,” reports The New York Post.
The movie was originally being filmed in New Mexico, but was halted in 2021 after the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
While rehearsing a scene in the script, a gun Baldwin was using fired a bullet that struck Hutchins, abruptly ending work on the low-budget western.
Baldwin was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Sante Fe district attorney, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Those charges were dropped Thursday after new prosecutors said new facts were revealed about the shooting which requires further forensic analysis on the government’s side.
In a statement to The Post, Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said, “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”
Charges of involuntary manslaughter against the film’s former armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, have not been dropped and she is not part of the filming in Montana.
Before moving the set to Montana, the production company came to an agreement with New Mexico that was finalized last month over safety violations, for which it paid a $100,000 fine.
The Post reports on-set spies say the new Montana set closely matches the set in New Mexico, with the biggest difference being it is covered in snow.
“Baldwin appeared to be in high spirits as he left the snow-topped hotel located near the Yellowstone Film Ranch,” says The Post. “He was greeted outside by director Joel Souza, one of the few crew to carry over from the original shoot. With the new location bordering Canada instead of Mexico, it remains unclear how the different weather and environment could affect the final look of the movie.”
Baldwin may be out of New Mexico, but he’s not out of scrutiny of the special prosecutors, who said charges could be refiled after their investigation.
“Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, special prosecutors from New Mexico, said the dropped charges don’t “absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability” and additional charges could possibly be brought against him,” reports The Post.
“Our follow-up investigation will remain active and on-going,” Morrissey and Lewis said in a statement.
“Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form.”
Source: Western Standard
