Baldwin wanted film to be finished after fatal shooting

ALEC BALDWIN tried to persuade the cast and crew to complete the film in which he accidentally shot Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer, according to court papers released in the US.

The actor wanted the film, Rust, to be finished as a tribute to Ms Hutchins who died after being hit with a live bullet while filming a scene in New Mexico last October.

Baldwin, 63, who has denied liability, believed the pistol contained blanks.

He is being sued by Ms Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, for wrongful death.

The lawsuit alleges that the “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures” of Baldwin and the film’s producers, including Baldwin, “led to the death of Halyna Hutchins”.

Baldwin’s desire to complete the film emerged in a court filing by his lawyer, Luke Nikas, which was reported in the New York Times. The project has reportedly been shelved.

The actor proposed completing the film which would not only honour Ms Hutchins but also raise funds for her husband and nine-year-old son.

In the filing, Mr Nikas said a clause in the contract Baldwin signed with the company – Rust Movie Productions – indemnified the actor from financial responsibility for the tragedy.

“Someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin,” Mr Nikas wrote. “This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences. That person is not Alec Baldwin.” Two other members of the film crew have claimed

‘An actor cannot rule that a gun is safe. That is the responsibility of other people on the set’

in separate lawsuits that Baldwin should have independently checked the gun was safe – even though he had been reassured that it was not loaded with live ammunition.

However, Mr Nikas said that Baldwin had been told by the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-reed, that it was her job to check the weapon.

“An actor cannot rule that a gun is safe,” the filing said. “That is the responsibility of other people on the set.”

Ms Hannah Gutierrez-reed’s lawyer said he was reviewing the filing.