Now that he's been cleared of charges related to the accidental shooting on the set of Rust, Alec Baldwin is ready to return to set life. Just a day after it was announced that New Mexico has dropped criminal charges leveled against him as regards the Rust set shooting, it has been revealed, via Deadline that he will be starring in Hollywood Heist, a crime comedy that will serve as Mike Hatton’s feature directorial debut.
Additionally, production has also resumed on Rust with Baldwin returning to his starring and producing role in the Western movie. In what will be another instance of art imitating life, Baldwin will star in Hollywood Heist as a fictionalized version of himself in a film set in a meta version of Hollywood. The film will feature a star-studded cast with Nick Cannon, Mickey Rourke, (Iron Man 2) Paul Sloan, Til Schweiger, and Tara Reid (The Big Lebowski) set to play key roles. While Cannon will play the role of a Hollywood power agent attempting to land Baldwin as his next big client, Rourke and Reid will equally play fictionalized versions of themselves.
Per the synopsis, Cannon will attempt to woo Baldwin "by telling the story of his client, a movie producer (Hatton), along with a washed-up movie star pal (Sloan), as they race against time to save their latest production." The story is inspired by real events and will see Cannon's Hollywood agent and his company in a fix after the budget on their ongoing movie project is "wiped clean by a thief, leading to an onslaught of negotiations with famous actors, drug lords, and death." Also cast in the film is Armenian actor Arman Nshanian who will portray the fictionalized version of producer Asko Akopyan.
Filming for Hollywood Heist which was split between Majorca, Spain, and Las Vegas wrapped last week while principal photography concluded in Los Angeles. Hatton directed from a script he wrote. The project was a collaboration between Akopyan's Oscar Gold Productions, Sloan's Ton of Hats banner as well as Cannon's Ncredible Entertainment.
Alec Baldwin Might Not Be Completely Off the Hook in Rust Shooting Controversy
While Baldwin has now been absolved of wrongdoing regarding the tragic set shooting that led to the death of assistant director Halyna Hutchins in 2021, with Baldwin mistakenly firing the gun, prosecutors in New Mexico maintain that the Oscar nominee might still yet face charges as the recent charges were only dropped in order to conduct further investigations. The official statement from the special prosecutor reads:
“Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander “Alec” Rae Baldwin, III. Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form. We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation. This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled. Our follow-up investigation will remain active and on-going.”
Hollywood Heist is yet without a release date. Stay tuned at Collider for more updates on the film. In the meantime, check out the trailer for Baldwin's recently released disaster film Supercell below: