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Alec Baldwin is very much in the Rust trailer, in case you were wondering how they’d handle that.
More than three years ago, tragedy struck the set of the Western film. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins lost her life.
Now, the trailer is out.
Watch the Rust teaser for yourself. A sense of unease permeates every moment — at least, if you know what happened.
The ‘Rust’ trailer is out
As you can see below, the Rust trailer is full of Western vistas, horses, tension, death, and old-timey shootouts.
Yes, some of it feels uncomfortably close to the tragedy that befell that film set.
And yes, Alec Baldwin takes center stage in multiple scenes in the trailer.
The film follows 13-year-old orphan, Lucas Hollister, who accidentally kills a Kansas rancher. He then has to go on the run with his grandfather, an aging outlaw who reemerges to protect the boy.
Patrick Scott McDermott plays Lucas. And Alec Baldwin plays his grandfather, Harland Rust.
The cast includes Travis Fimmel of Dune: Prophecy and Warcraft (2016), Frances Fisher, Josh Hopkins, and more.
Filming this cost Halyna Hutchins her life
Notably, the Rust credits honor the late Halyna Hutchins as cinematographer.
After her death, Bianca Cline stepped into the cinematographer role. Those were big shoes to fill.
Additionally, Halyna Hutchins’ husband — now widower — Matthew Hutchins appears as Executive Producer.
Throughout the trailer, there is a palpable discomfort — and it has nothing to do with the trailer itself, which promises tension, violence, and warm moments.
But the rest of us are aware of the tragedy of Hutchins’ death.
The world at large also knows of the ambitious prosecutor who seemed determined to put Alec Baldwin in prison over the senseless accident — so determined, it seems, that she sabotaged her own case. (Judges as a rule do not enjoy when you allegedly commit Brady violations)
Can a film’s quality overcome its baggage?
Rust will hit theaters on May 2. There were, for obvious reasons, multiple delays.
The film has already premiered at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland. The reviews seem to be fairly positive.
But the dismissal of Baldwin’s manslaughter charges did not undo his trauma. Similarly, the specter of what took place on set hangs over the trailer for Rust. It’s unclear what sort of public reception the film will receive.