American actor Alec Baldwin announced on Wednesday that he had reached an agreement with the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killed in October 2021 by the shooting of a revolver he handled during the filming of the western "Rust".
A dramatic news item that shook Hollywood.
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In an Instagram post, the comedian said he was "grateful to all those who have contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful case".
Production on the film will resume in January 2023, according to a separate statement.
The settlement ends civil lawsuits brought by Halyna Hutchins' family against Alec Baldwin.
The amount of this negotiated agreement, which must then be validated by a judge, was not disclosed.
"Halyna's death resulted from a terrible accident"
“I have no desire to launch recriminations or point out the culprits (either the producers or Baldwin)”, commented the husband of the cinematographer, Matthew Hutchins, quoted in the press release of the production of the film. .
“We are all convinced that Halyna's death resulted from a terrible accident.
“Filming should resume in January 2023, “with all the main protagonists”, he indicates, specifying that he will be the executive producer.
On October 21, 2021, the filming of this western on a ranch in Santa Fe (New Mexico) had turned tragic when Alec Baldwin had activated a weapon supposed to contain only dummy bullets but whose projectile had fatally injured Halyna Hutchins, elderly 42 years old.
The shooting also injured the director of the film, Joel Souza, who rejoiced on Wednesday that filming would resume soon.
“While it's obviously bittersweet, I'm glad that together we're now finishing what Halyna and I started.
All my efforts on this film will be dedicated to honoring Halyna's memory,” he explained, quoted in the production press release.
The conclusions of the investigation have not yet been made public.
This filming accident, in a country regularly bereaved by firearms, had a very strong impact, beyond the American borders.
The news item had led Hollywood studios to reflect on the rules and conditions for making films.
Halyna Hutchins' family had filed a complaint against the actor in February, accusing him through their lawyer of "dangerous behavior" and denouncing the cost-cutting measures decided by the film's producers, including Baldwin, having according to them resulted in the death of the filmmaker.
Read also"No real bullet ends up on a movie set, that's the rule"
The police investigation, the conclusions of which have not yet been made public, focused in particular on determining how live ammunition could have been found on the set, which is in theory strictly prohibited, precisely to avoid accidents. .
Alec Baldwin had, while assuring that he did not want to "condemn" her, again recently pointed the finger at the gunsmith hired for the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and also mentioned the responsibility of assistant director Dave Halls, who had given him the weapon shortly before the shooting.
The 64-year-old actor, who has starred in many action movies, has made a name for himself with his comedic portrayal of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.
