Rust Producer Says He's 'Confident' They'll 'Be Able to Complete the Movie' After Shooting Tragedy
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Ron Adar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock; Anthony Harvey/Getty; Jim Bennett/Getty Images From lefit: Anjul Nigam, Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin
Rust will go on, says producer Anjul Nigam.
Nigam spoke with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of bringing his and Alec Baldwin's film False Awakening to this week's Cannes Film Festival market, and said they are "confident" they will "be able to complete the movie" after the investigation into last fall's on-set shooting is finished.
On Oct. 21, 2021, 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the ill-fated film.
Baldwin, 64, was holding the gun that discharged, shooting her and director Joel Souza, who survived his injuries. The actor has claimed he did not pull the trigger and was told the gun was not loaded.
"Rust is obviously a horrific tragedy," Nigam told THR. "The investigation will hopefully be resolved soon and will unveil what happened."
Nigam clarifies to PEOPLE of his THR remarks, "My statement that I was confident the film could be completed was just my optimism, and not an actual plan. Many of those who were involved hope to honor Halyna by completing her last work, but at this point it is just hope."
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Rachel Luna/WireImage; Mat Hayward/Getty/AMC Networks Alec Baldwin (L); Halyna Hutchins
According to THR, Baldwin and Nigam's new movie False Awakening, a psychological thriller, will be released under a new production company called Persona Entertainment.
"Obviously, there will be people out there who will have negative perspectives, but we're confident about continuing to make quality movies," Nigam told the outlet.
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Although the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office has not ruled out charges until the investigation is complete, Baldwin and the film's producers have faced several lawsuits, including one filed by Hutchins' family.
A rep for Baldwin did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
RELATED VIDEO: Rust Actor Devon Werkheiser Says Halyna Hutchins' Death in Tragic Shooting "Doesn't Make Sense"
Baldwin wanted the cast and crew on the Western movie to complete filming after the fatal on-set incident as a way to honor late cinematographer Hutchins, a March court filing revealed.
Baldwin's legal team said in an arbitration filing against the film's other producers, obtained by The New York Times, that the actor tried to encourage the Rust cast and crew to complete the movie during the weeks following Hutchins' death.
He also made a plan to support her husband Matthew Hutchins and their son, 9, through the movie profits and an insurance payout, the news outlet reported.
The filing came after Baldwin was sued by Matthew in February for the wrongful death of his wife. There are also other pending lawsuits aimed at the producers of the film for allegedly cutting corners and forgoing safety measures while making the movie and, last month, Rust Movie Productions, LLC was issued the maximum possible fine by the New Mexico Environment Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau for "plain indifference to the recognized hazards associated with the use of firearms on set that resulted in a fatality, severe injury and unsafe working conditions."
