The new armorer on troubled Western movie Rust is an industry veteran who has worked on more than 60 movies, including Mortal Kombat, Terminator and The Manchurian Candidate, DailyMail.com has confirmed.
Andrew Wert, 54, of Spokane, Washington, has been brought in to replace rookie prop specialist Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26.
Guttierez-Reed is the only member of the Rust crew still facing charges over the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, after the film’s star Alec Baldwin was unexpectedly cleared on Thursday.
The rookie is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and stands accused of ‘sloppy mishandling of firearms’ according to prosecution documents.
Police say she was responsible for loading a live bullet into the Colt .45 pistol that killed Hutchins and now faces a preliminary hearing in Santa Fe starting August 9.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, said his client was ‘stretched too thin’ and had asked for more time to focus on her armorer duties, but was ‘denied’ it and never called back into the church to properly instruct Baldwin on how to handle the weapon
Off to set Alec Baldwin in Livingston, Montana day 2 of filming of fated Movie Rust. Alec is staying in Livingston 30 minutes from the film set in Montana
According to cops, they also found texts showing Gutierrez-Reed had wanted to use live ammunition on a previous set and said they had found a mixture of live and dummy rounds on the Rust set – a serious safety violation.
Baldwin, 65, is currently in Livingston, Montana, where he has resumed his role as Wild West outlaw Harlan Rust and was pictured back on set on Friday – the first time he has been seen in costume since mom-of-one Hutchins was killed.
Unlike Gutierrez-Reed, a rookie armorer with just one other credit to her name, veteran Wert has worked on a string of blockbusters and is a member of the IATSE union.
Along with Rust, his current projects include Ironheart – a TV drama about a teen who created an advanced set of armor – and upcoming dystopian flick Borderlands.
Older movies on his lengthy resume include 2011 classic Straw Dogs, Monster, the 2003 Oscar winning biopic of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, and The SpongeBob SquarePants movie.
Wert also boasts credits on TV series SEAL Team, Terminator Genisys, Transporter 2 and American Heist among others.
The 54-year-old’s presence on the Rust set is part of a wholesale overhaul of personnel in the wake of Hutchins’ death, with two safety officers also added to the roster for the new shoot.
They are Paul Jordan, the founder of Tenet Safety Production, who previously worked for Universal and has 45 years of experience in the field, and Gary Jensen – a Chicago-based stunt coordinator whose credits include Chicago PD and The X-Men.
The rookie armorer is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and stands accused of ‘sloppy mishandling of firearms’ according to prosecution documents. Police say she was responsible for loading a live bullet into the Colt .45 pistol that killed Hutchins (right)
Andrew Wert, 54, of Spokane, Washington, has been brought in to replace rookie prop specialist Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26. Wert boasts credits on TV series SEAL Team, Terminator Genisys, Transporter 2 and American Heist among others. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of “Terminator”
Wert’s more than 60 movies inlcude The Manchurian Candidate. The 2004 political thriller about a brainwashed war veteran who becomes an assassin starred Denzel Washington (left) and Liev Schreiber (right)
Hutchins own work is being continued by LA-based cinematographer Bianca Cline whose credits include ads for Nike, CitiBank and AirBNB, as well as true crime miniseries, Murder Among The Mormons.
In a statement released ahead of the Rust’s relaunch, director Joel Souza – who was wounded in the 2021 shooting that claimed Hutchins’ life – said: ‘Though bittersweet, I am grateful that a brilliant and dedicated new production team joining former cast and crew are committed to completing what Halyna and I started.
‘My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf.’
Photos taken of the set yesterday show Baldwin back in action as Harland Rust and carrying a shotgun filled with rubber bullets next to a chestnut horse.
The new set, which is being used instead of the original Bonanza Creek venue near Santa Fe, consists of a purpose-built Western backlot nestled into a dip on a rural ranch owned by the Chico Hot Springs Resort and Spa.
Baldwin is seen on Friday standing beside a horse as filming resumed for Rust in Montana
The church, which was notable in the New Mexico set, has been recreated in Montana
Yelllowstone Film Ranch is 20-miles south of the Montana town of Livingston – itself a Wild West boom town that prospered after the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was built through the area.
As DailyMail.com exclusively revealed, Baldwin is staying in a new-build condo in the town for the duration of the shoot.
Part of the complex, called The Flats at Yellowstone Road, is still being constructed with off-plan homes on the market for $285,000.
Property listings show that condos in the complex boast top-of-the-range fittings such as quartz worktops, stainless steel appliances and brushed nickel fittings.
An AirBNB listing for an apartment in the same building as Baldwin charges would-be visitors $222 a night – leaving the actor with a $7,548 tab should he stay there for the entire 35 days the shoot is scheduled to run for.