James Gunn and Elijah Wood react to Alec Baldwin’s prop gun accident that killed cinematographer

Celebrities and industry figures took to social media after learning of the tragic accident that occurred on the set of Alec Baldwin’s forthcoming film Rust on Thursday at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

During the shoot, the actor, 63, accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded the film’s writer-director Joel Souza after his prop firearm unintentionally discharged.

Elijah Wood tweeted that Hutchins’ death is ‘absolutely horrifying and devastating,’ while director James Gunn admitted that his ‘greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets.’ 

Aside from highlighting the sadness, The League star Paul Scheer called the accident ‘beyond a tragedy and there are so many rules in place to make sure this can’t happen.’ He wrote: ‘I can’t even fathom how this is possible. So many people had to be negligent. This is a crime. Halyna was a tremendous talent. I’m sick to my stomach.’ 

Alec’s former co-star Debra Messing jumped to the star’s defense after a social media user hit out at the accident, as she wrote: ‘It is absolutely NOT. A prop gun was handed to him . He used it in the scene. Then- a catastrophic event happened where Halnya Hutchins lost her life and Joel Souza was injured. I am praying for all their families.’

The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it was Baldwin who fired the prop gun, which unexpectedly launched a projectile or projectiles at Rust crew members. Production on the film has been halted and a police investigation has been launched, though no charges have been filed.

In a statement to Deadline, a spokesperson for Rust Movies Productions LLC communicated that ‘the entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones. 

The statement read: ‘We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation.’

To help cast and crew cope with the tragedy, the production company ‘will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.’ 

Wood went on to issue condolences to 42-year-old Hutchins’ mourning relatives, writing in his impassioned tweet: ‘My heart goes out to her family.’

Gunn, who is known for his directorial work on film like The Suicide Squad and Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, prayed that this tragic of an accident ‘will never happen’ during his career.’ The 55-year-old concluded: ‘My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy today on Rust, especially Halyna Hutchins & her family’. 

Bill & Ted star Alex Winter, clearly disturbed by the tragedy, tweeted that film crews ‘should never be unsafe on set and when they are there is always a clearly definable reason why.’

He tagged #IASolidarity on the post, relating the incident back to recent uproar regarding the poor treatment of crew members in the entertainment industry and a demand for better hours, healthcare, and safety protocols on sets.  

Scheer included a portrait of Halyna Hutchins taken during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. 

Director Amy J. Berg, who also shared a Deadline article detailing the accidental shooting, penned: ‘What an absolute nightmare. We lost a rising star, female cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’. 

Filmmaker Mike Flanagan tweeted that his ‘heart breaks for the family and friends of Halyna Hutchins’ and reiterated that ‘this is just horrifying and devastating news.’

Diversity advocate April Reign shared a Twitter thread detailing the life of Hutchins for those who were not familiar with her extensive body of work.

Actress-director Victoria Mahoney wrote that her ‘heart aches for Ms. Halyna Hutchins family, and loved ones’ before labeling her death not only ‘terrifying’ but ‘utterly heartbreaking.’ 

C. Robert Cargill, who is the mind behind the horror franchise Sinister and a critically acclaimed author,  said that he ‘loved Halyna Hutchins’ work so much’ and that her death is ‘not only a tragic loss for cinema but to so many of you I know who worked with her.’

He continued: ‘You and her family are all in my thoughts tonight. I’m heartbroken for you all.’

Writer Dara Resnik recalled working on the set of Mark Wahlberg’s 2007 film Shooter where ‘a cameraman was hit in the forehead with a blank and gushed blood everywhere.’

Continuing to communicate the frequent dangers of working on an active movie set, she added that she had also been ‘on a set where a crew could easily have gotten hit by a train.

Dresnik concluded: ‘Filmmaking is very dangerous. And we need to care more about that. RIP #HalynaHutchins’.

Alex Press also stressed that fact that ‘safety needs to be taken more seriously’ in the entertainment industry. He penned: ‘I bring that up because Halyna Hutchins was a proud Local 600 member—she posted an IATSE solidarity photo two days ago’. 

Other Twitter users wrote: ‘Hoping Alec Baldwin recovers from this. Hope the production and set/prop design team is never hired again. To the lady that died. My heart goes out to her and her family… 

‘Apparently hollywood not taken any lesson from Brandon Lee incident. Alec Baldwin fired prop gun that killed woman on film set of Rust, authorities say… However that could happen… It is just very tragic. For her family. For the director. For Alec. #AlecBaldwin… 

‘Bro. I woke up and saw that Alec Baldwin headline, had to read it twice, check the credibility of the user tweeting it then read it again. I’m still in shock. How does that even happen!?… idk what i expected when i saw alec baldwin trending but it certainly wasnt THAT wtffff… 

‘It is absolutely tragic… thoughts also with Alec Baldwin – he must be devastated… Waking up to the news of Alec Baldwin killing someone with a prop gun… My heart and prayers are with #AlecBaldwin tonight, along w/ the entire cast from the movie and the families.’ 

Accidents with prop guns are rare, but not unheard of. Brandon Lee, the 28-year-old son of martial arts star Bruce Lee, was shot and killed on the set of The Crow in

Baldwin is a co-producer on the film, in which he plays infamous outlaw Harland Rust, whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of an accidental murder.

It was not immediately clear whether the prop gun that killed Hutchins was somehow loaded with real bullets, or if the gunpowder used in theatrical blank cartridges may have launched debris of some kind from the barrel. No further information has been offered on how Baldwin managed to strike two people, with the sheriff’s office continuing to investigate.

Representatives for Baldwin, Souza, and Rust’s executive producer did not immediately respond to inquiries from DailyMail.com late on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Baldwin’s spokesperson issued a statement to People on the shooting, saying: ‘There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.’

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Rust Pictures LLC, which is producing the film, said: ‘The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones.

‘We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event’

Hutchins’ devastated friends were too distraught to talk, but Ariel Vida, a production designer who worked with the director of photography on 2020 film Archenemy confirmed her death to DailyMail.com, tearfully adding: ‘I’m sorry, I can’t talk about this right now.’

No criminal charges have been filed, but police said that a criminal investigation into the incident is currently active to determine the circumstances of Hutchins’ death.

‘According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged,’ sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said in a statement. ‘Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.’

‘The incident remains an active investigation. As more information becomes available, updates will be provided,’ he added.

From helicopter crashes to deadly fires and the blank round that killed Brandon Lee: A look back at previous tragedies on Hollywood movie sets after Alec Baldwin shooting accident

The Hollywood community is still reeling after the death of 42-year-old director of photography Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of Rust on Thursday.

The 42-year-old was fatally struck by some sort of projectile that was fired out of a prop gun by Rust star Alec Baldwin, succumbing to her injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital via helicopter.

Sadly, Hutchins’ death is the latest in a long line of tragedies on the sets of movies and TV shows throughout the years, which we’ll examine below.

The Crow (1993) – Blank Round Kills Actor Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, was a rising star before one of the most tragic deaths in Hollywood history cut his life short.

The actor was filming a scene where his character was killed by street thugs, when a dummy cartridge was replaced with a blank round, which was fired into his abdomen with the same force as a live bullet.

After six hours of unsuccessful emergency surgery, Lee succumbed to his injuries at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina at just 28. 

Motherless Brooklyn (2018) – Set Fire Kills FDNY Firefighter

Tragedy struck the set of Edward Norton’s directorial debut Motherless Brooklyn in March 2018, when fire broke out on the set.

The FDNY was called in to contain the blaze, with decorated fireman Michael Davidson, 37, who had been on the FDNY for 15 years, dying on the set.

He had been cited for bravery four times during his tenure, leaving behind a wife and four daughters. 

Cover Up (1984) – Bullet Cartridge Kills Actor Jon-Erik Hexum 

Cast and crew were filming the seventh episode of the 1984 TV series Cover Up, when tragedy struck on October 12, 1984.

Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was filming a scene where he was meant to simulate Russian Roulette, when a cartridge in the gun was fired and fatally struck him in the head.

The actor was rushed to Beverly Hills Medical Center where he underwent emergency operations, but he passed away just five days later at 26.

The Twilight Zone: The Movie (1982) – Vic Morrow and two children killed by helicopter tail rotor

The tragic accident that killed actor Vic Morrow and children Myca Dinh Le, 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, 6, resulted in major filming code changes.

The scene was supposed to feature Morrow’s character being transported back to Vietnam, where he was supposed to protect two Vietnamese children.

A helicopter, flown by Vietnam veteran Dorcey Wingo, hovered over a mortar effect, which detonated over the rotor and caused the helicopter to crash.

Morrow and Le were decapitated by the helicopter’s main rotor blade while Chen was crushed to death by the helicopter.

The incident lead to legal action that lasted for over a decade, and lead to stringent changes in safety regulations that had not previously been in place. 

Deadpool 2 (2017) – Stuntwoman Joi ‘SJ’ Harris Dies In Motorcycle Crash

The production of the highly-anticipated Deadpool sequel was tarnished when stunt motorcycle rider lost control of her bike and fatally crashed.

Joi ‘SJ’ Harris was filming a stunt sequence at Shaw Tower in Vancouver, when she lost control and crashed into a plate glass window.

It was Harris’ first gig as a stunt rider, though she was an experienced rider, and was the first African-American female professional road racer.

Harris was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, because her character, Domino, played by Zazie Beetz, didn’t wear one in the scene.