Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' moving to Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana

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Firearm charge dropped against Alec Baldwin in Rust shooting

Fox News' Matt Finn provides details on the Santa Fe District Attorney's decision to drop the firearm enhancement from the involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin.

"Rust" found a new production location and is moving from its previous New Mexico backdrop to the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana this spring.

Alec Baldwin, 64, is still set to play the lead character in the Joel Souza-directed Western drama, despite facing involuntary manslaughter charges for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

"The dedication and passion of the entire "Rust" production team to honor Halyna’s vision has deeply moved us," Yellowstone Film Ranch co-founders Richard Gray, Carter Boehm and Colin Davis said in a joint statement. 

"We’ve learned so much about Halyna as a friend and colleague, the depth of her artistry, and the lasting impact she had on so many. We are honored to play a role in the realization of her vision and to carry forward her inspiring legacy through championing this film."

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Alec Baldwin will resume filming "Rust" in the spring in Montana at Yellowstone Filming Ranch. (MEGA/Santa Fe Sheriff's Department)

Hutchins was killed on the New Mexico set of the Western film, and Souza was wounded by a bullet when live ammunition was accidentally loaded into a weapon fired by Baldwin while rehearsing a scene in a church on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin has since denied he pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Hutchins.

The Western Backlot at Yellowstone Ranch is "styled after a late 1800s gold rush town uniquely located in Montana’s pristine Paradise Valley. The vast sagebrush and forested serenity offers a 360-degree view of glacier mountain peaks, rolling hills, and Emigrant Peak."

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Production services include local crew members, lodging, transportation, catering and equipment rentals. Montana offers film productions a tax incentive, ranging from 20-35% of production costs.

Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' movie production found a new home at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana, which features an eerily similar church to the one in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed in New Mexico.  (Yellowstone Film Ranch/MEGA)

"I am deeply grateful to Richie, Carter, and Colin for the invitation to the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana," Souza said in a statement.

"Their unwavering friendship, support, and now partnership in completing Rust and honoring Halyna means the world to me and our entire production team. The beauty of Montana surpasses words, and the warm hospitality and kindness extended by everyone I've met has been both humbling and inspiring. It is a privilege to work with such great partners as we see this through on Halyna’s behalf."

Yellowstone Film Ranch was the filming location for the Nicolas Cage cowboy movie, "The Old Way." 

Halyna Hutchins died on the set of "Rust" in October 2021 by a gun Alec Baldwin was holding. (Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP)

The movie made headlines in October 2021 when "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was reportedly involved in an incident that led to Cage walking off set. 

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Gutierrez Reed was also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Hutchins. 

Assistant director David Halls was also charged, but pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. He's one of 45 witnesses who could be called at a preliminary hearing.

Aerial photo from Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico shows the church where actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun. (Associated Press)

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed's first hearing is scheduled for Friday. If convicted, they each could face up to 18 months in prison.

Melina Spadone, attorney for Rust Movie Productions, LLC, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the project will include "on-set safety supervisors and union crew members, and will bar any use of working weapons or any ammunition."

Live ammunition was reportedly prohibited from the "Rust" movie set. The Motion Picture Association has actively campaigned for updated firearm safety requirements. 

In October, Spadone confirmed to Fox News Digital that the production was moving from New Mexico and "considering other locations, including in California, but no decisions have been made." 

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