New Rust Documentary Will Tell ‘Untold’ Story of Halyna Hutchins’ Death

Hulu's Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna will detail the tragic story of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' shooting death on the set of the Alec Baldwin Western film Rust, as seen from the perspective of her friend, filmmaker Rachel Mason.

The documentary, set to premiere Tuesday, March 11, will go "beyond the public narrative to reveal the untold human story of that terrible day and all that followed — from the vantage point of the people at the center of the tragedy," according to a release announcing the film.

“Halyna was dear to me for many reasons," Mason, whose past films include Circus of Books and An Update on Our Family, said in a statement.

"Not only was she a friend, she was a collaborator. While she was alive, I could never have imagined making a film about her. My hope was to make films with her, and to support her in all the many films that she was sure to make. In the media frenzy which followed her death, it felt as if Halyna was erased, her loss eclipsed by the surrounding controversies.

Also Read: 9 Movie Set Deaths That Could Have Been Prevented

"Our film aims to keep her at the center, while offering a portrait of the experience of those with whom she spent her final 12 days, which hopefully, through their efforts, offers the world a very much unfinished portrait of Halyna."

The film comes from Story Syndicate, Anonymous Content and Concordia Studio.

Hutchins was killed in October 2021 when Baldwin’s prop gun fired a live bullet on the Santa Fe, New Mexico Rust. Months and years of lawsuits and criminal trials followed. In that time, the release notes, "the tabloid spectacle around the case overshadowed a private, personal tragedy."

Also Read: Circus of Books: Meet the Straight Couple Who Owned an Iconic Gay Bookstore

Last Take uses public court records, behind-the-scenes material from Rust, and Hutchins' personal archives to examine the investigations into the accident and "the private moral reckoning of all involved," the release states.

Rust Documentary Background

Baldwin, who has denied pulling the trigger, was rehearsing a scene when a live round discharged from the prop gun, which was supposed to contain only dummy rounds. Rust director Joel Souza was wounded, but recovered.

In April of last year, Rust on-set armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death.

Prosecutors blamed her for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set, and failing to follow basic gun-safety protocols.

In July, Judge Marlowe Sommer ended a criminal trial against Baldwin, finding that prosecutors had withheld evidence from the defense. She dismissed the case without the possibility of a retrial.

“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” the judge said at the time.

Last month, Baldwin sued the prosecutors in the case, accusing them of malicious prosecution and civil rights violations. He said they had pursued criminal charges against him out of a desire to “scapegoat Baldwin for the acts and omissions of others.”

In a statement to news outlets in response to Baldwin’s lawsuit, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, one of the defendants, wrote, “In October 2023 the prosecution team became aware that Mr. Baldwin intended to file a retaliatory civil lawsuit. We look forward to our day in court.”

Main image: Halyna Hutchins in Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna. Courtesy of Felipe Orozco.