

Baldwin told The Hollywood Reporter that he was elated to work with Souza after missing the opportunity to star in Crown Vic (2019). In May 2020, it was announced that Alec Baldwin would produce and star in Rust, a Western based on a story he created with writer and director Joel Souza. Brady Noon was originally cast as Lucas Hollister but also exited when production resumed.

His character was replaced by that of Hopkins. Jensen Ackles initially filmed scenes for Rust before production stalled due to the shooting of Halyna Hutchins, but left before it resumed due to scheduling conflicts.

The charges were dropped against Baldwin on April 20, 2023, and filming resumed that same day, concluding the next month. In October 2021, production was temporarily suspended after a controversial and highly publicized firearms shooting incident, in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed when a gun being used as a prop was fired by Baldwin during the preparation for a scene Souza was injured by the same projectile.įilming was set to resume in January 2023, more than a year after the incident and ongoing lawsuits, but Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter that month, putting his further involvement with the project into question. The film stars Alec Baldwin (who also produces, and co-wrote the story with Souza), Patrick Scott McDermott, Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher, and Josh Hopkins. Rust is an upcoming American Western film written and directed by Joel Souza.
