(NewsNation) — The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed on the “Rust” movie set last year, and Alec Baldwin have reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against the actor and others.
Rust Movie Productions announced the settlement of the civil case Wednesday morning.
As part of the settlement, Halyna’s husband, Matthew Hutchins, will take on an executive producer role for the film, which will continue filming in January 2023 with the original cast.
“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed. The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023. I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
MAtthew hutchins
Baldwin’s attorney also provided a statement, stating that everyone involved has “maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son.”
Hutchins was fatally shot on the set on Oct. 21, 2021 when Baldwin discharged a prop gun after he was told it was a “cold” weapon. Director Joel Souza was also wounded when the Colt .45-caliber revolver went off.
Souza said that in his own attempt to heal, any decision to return to finish directing the film would only make sense if Halyna Hutchins’ family was involved. He also said he is pleased that they will now be able to complete the work he and the cinematographer started.
Halyna Hutchins’ family filed the wrongful death lawsuit back in February. But in August, New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the shooting an accident following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports.
Baldwin spoke about the incident with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on his podcast.
“The man who is the principal safety officer of the set of the film declared the gun was safe when he handed it to me,” Baldwin said. “The man who was the principal safety officer of the film declared in front of the entire assemblage ‘This is a cold gun.’ Now, why did he say that, if he didn’t know and hadn’t checked? The point is we were told everything was cool and you can relax and we are working with a gun that is safe to rehearse with.”
The shooting death was a reminder of the dangers that can be present on film sets, which have resulted in deaths in the past. Most notably, actor Brandon Lee died in 1993 after he was shot on the set of “The Crow” when a makeshift bullet was mistakenly left in a gun.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.