The Cannes Film Festival kicks off this week, and with it comes the similarly important Cannes Film Market. Among the producers out there selling new projects are Alec Baldwin and Anjul Nigam, both of whom were producers on the now infamous western Rust. On that film, star Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed DP Halyna Hutchins when a live round was discharged from the gun he was using as a prop. Despite all of the legal fallout, producer Nigam still seems to think Rust has a good chance of being completed, telling THR, “we’re confident we’ll be able to complete the movie.”
Nigam and Baldwin are at Cannes trying to launch their new production company, Persona Entertainment. One of the projects they’re promoting is called False Awakening, a horror-thriller set to star Baldwin, which the producer has compared to The Sixth Sense and Hereditary. According to THR, Nigam and Baldwin have already wrapped two films, the storm chasing movie Super Cell and the thriller 97 Minutes. Baldwin acts in both.
In the meantime, the producers continue to face legal fallout from the Rust shooting, with Hutchins’ family filing a wrongful death lawsuit. At the same time, a New Mexico safety agency has levied heft fines at the producers. One wonders if jumping right back into producing is a good move for either Nigam or Baldwin, with the shooting so fresh in people’s minds. Finishing Rust, in particular, seems a little tone-deaf and will likely not be well-received by the industry or Hutchins’ family, but time will tell.
Regarding the Rust shooting, Nigam stated to THR: “Rust is obviously a horrific tragedy,” adding “the investigation will hopefully be resolved soon and will unveil what happened. Obviously, there will be people out there who will have negative perspectives, but we’re confident about continuing to make quality movies.”
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