Alec Baldwin's criminal case is permanently over, but there's more on the horizon for 'Rust' and its star
Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial over the fatal shooting on the set of Rust may have been dismissed, but there's more on the horizon for the movie and its star.
The 66-year-old actor-producer broke down in tears in the New Mexico courtroom after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice on July 12, three days into the proceedings. His defense attorneys argued that prosecutors had buried evidence relating to the Oct. 21, 2021 incident in which a prop gun Baldwin was holding discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Since Sommer dismissed his charges with prejudice, Baldwin's criminal case is permanently over. However, he still faces civil lawsuits, including a wrongful death suit from Hutchins' widower Matthew -- named an executive producer on the film following the incident -- which has not been fully resolved despite its October 2022 settlement. Several other individuals, including the production crew, have filed lawsuits against Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and production as a result of the shooting, citing negligence on set.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents the late cinematographer's parents and sister, reacted to the dismissal on July 13. "The dismissal only strengthens our resolve to pursue justice in the civil case that we have filed against him in Santa Fe, New Mexico," she told reporters, referencing her filing from February 2023.
Allred added that she was still "dedicated" to holding Baldwin and the "entire Rust production accountable" in that civil lawsuit, which she noted was "not affected by the decision of the court yesterday in the criminal case."
Baldwin's legal team, requesting for a judge to dismiss the civil suit in April 2023, had written that Hutchins' family had been "distanced from Halyna physically, financially and emotionally for years before her death," calling the suit "especially misguided." In response, Allred told PEOPLE they were "not surprised that Alec Baldwin is once again attempting to avoid responsibility."
Related: How Rust Prosecutors' Case Against Alec Baldwin Fell Apart in Stunning Fashion: 'What Have They Done?' (Exclusive)
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Although both criminal and civil cases have overshadowed the filming of Rust itself, the Western resumed filming and completed filming in May 2023.
The movie, set in 1880s Kansas, follows a 13-year-old boy who must take care of himself and his younger brother after the death of their parents. He "goes on the run with his long estranged grandfather after he's sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher," per a plot summary posted to IMDb.
An insider told PEOPLE that the finished version of Rust, after undergoing rewrites, does not contain the scene Baldwin, Souza and Hutchins were rehearsing when the gun discharged. "It's a beautiful film," said the source. "It looks like a big studio movie."
Baldwin's last significant screen credit as an actor was in 2021 during the first season of Dr. Death, one of several projects on which he's also an executive producer. He next appears in the thriller Clear Cut (in select theaters July 19), costarring Clive Standen and Stephen Dorff, and the crime movie Crescent City (in select theaters Aug. 16), costarring Terrence Howard.
