Days after Alec Baldwin announced that he's finished with his work on Rust, the actor's next project has been revealed. Per ET, Baldwin is set to star in the upcoming movie Kent State, a film about the tragedy that occurred on the university's campus on May 4, 1970. That day, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students who'd been protesting the Vietnam War, killing four and wounding several others. The massacre sparked widespread outrage and is still often talked about to this day, having recently surpassed the incident's 53rd anniversary.
While Kent State is inspired by the tragedy, it's described as a movie that will focus on "the abuse of power and misuse of guns." It's also been reported that there will not be any actual guns on the set. Baldwin was involved with the on-set accident on the set of Rust in October 2021 when the prop firearm he'd been given fired a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. After an investigation, criminal charges were filed against Baldwin, though they were subsequently dropped. The incident has prompted big changes in the industry where many filmmakers have outright banned real guns from their sets.
Kent State, which is being shopped by Strive Global Media at the Cannes market, is written and directed by Karen Slade. Per the new report, the film chronicles how one family's past "coincides with the tragic event of May 4, 1970, when the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of student protesters, killing four and injuring seven. The story follows its lead character through two time periods in his life, looking at the massacre through today's lens and examining its impact."
Alec Baldwin Moves Forward
The completion of Rust happened with the blessing of Matthew Hutchins, the widower of Halyna Hutchins, who joined the project as an executive producer. A film crew was also on the set in Montana to work on a separate documentary about the making of the movie and the incident that took the life of Halyna. Baldwin was reported to be participating with the documentary, which comes from director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz. Matthew Hutchins is also participating.
"I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin)," Matthew said in a statement when joining the project in his exec producer role. "All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Baldwin has been getting his acting career back on track as well. Along with finishing Rust, it was recently reported that he was joining the cast of a crime comedy movie called Hollywood Heist. That film will feature Baldwin as a version of himself with other stars including Mickey Rourke, Mike Hatton, Tara Reid, and Nick Cannon. Mike Hatton is directing that film.