‘Rust’ producer talks ‘realistic expectations’ for selling the film after fatal shooting

A producer of “Rust” acknowledged the film’s “unprecedented” circumstances as they try to sell it more than a year after the on-set fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Producer Ryan Donnell Smith recently arrived at the Cannes Film Festival in France, where “Rust” is among the approximately 4,000 movies in the marketplace, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“This is an unprecedented film in regards to the circumstances,” Smith told the entertainment outlet. “We’re trying to keep realistic expectations, but shepherd this in the best way we can.”

Hutchins, 42, died in October 2021 after being shot by a firearm that Alec Baldwin, a producer and star of the western film, was handling. Baldwin claimed he was told the gun was cold, indicating it wasn’t loaded with live ammunition.

Involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin were dismissed in April but could be refiled amid an ongoing investigation, prosecutors said. The film’s former armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was also charged, and her attorneys said last month they expect her to be cleared.

Production for “Rust” originally took place at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., and resumed last month at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana.

Baldwin, 65, posted an Instagram photo this week from what he called the last day on set, then shared another image of his clean-shaven face, suggesting production had wrapped.

“God, it felt good to shave off that beard,” Baldwin captioned the second picture.

In October, the “Rust” producers reached a settlement with Hutchins’ family on a wrongful death lawsuit. Her widower, Matthew Hutchins, became the film’s executive producer, while Bianca Cline took over as the cinematographer.

It felt “surreal but extremely special” to resume making the movie, Smith told THR, adding that the attitude on set “was joyful, honoring and respectful.”

“That was led by Matthew Hutchins’ decision, what he felt was appropriate,” Smith said at Cannes. “Is it the right thing to move forward? Our team felt, ‘How could we not finish this in honor of Halyna’s legacy?’”