The first trailer for “Rust” has dropped, over three years after star and producer Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the doomed Western, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
On Wednesday, People published the one-minute 18-second trailer for the 1880s period piece, which will release May 2.
Baldwin, 67, stars as outlaw Harland Rust who finds himself on the run with his young grandson after the 13-year-old is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing.
In a statement to the outlet, Melina Spadone, a representative of Rust Movie Productions LLC, described the film as “a story of the ripples that a single violent act can send through generations and the hard-fought redemption to be found in a world where the line between good and evil can often be unclear.”
What’s also unclear is whether that description intentionally extends to the behind the scenes tragedy that has marred the film, though Spadone did point to “the beautiful cinematography of Halyna Hutchins.”
On Oct. 21, 2021, filming took a tragic and fatal turn on the set of “Rust” near Santa Fe, when a gun Alec Baldwin fired a live round, killed 42-year-old Hutchins and wounding Souza. Baldwin has insisted he did not pull the trigger, an assertion challenged by firearm experts.
Halyna Hutchins attends the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Sonia Recchia / Getty Images)
In February 2023, Hutchins’ family filed a wrongful death civil suit against the Emmy-winning actor, who has discussed the shooting and aftermath in his controversial new TLC reality show, “The Baldwins,” against which the family has spoken out.
Baldwin was twice indicted for involuntary manslaughter — both in January 2023 and January 2024 — culminating in a trial last summer that was ultimately dismissed with prejudice.
Months earlier, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, was convicted months of the same charge. In October, she pleaded guilty to a separate gun crime.