The death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust"
New Mexico, United States, October 2021
This case is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places and events in the game do not portray real people. The account below is a factual summary, based on public sources, of the case that served as inspiration.
On 21 October 2021, during a rehearsal for a scene in the western "Rust", a revolver that was supposed to hold only blanks fired a live round. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed; the film's director was wounded. She left behind a husband and a young son.
The investigation looked into how live ammunition ended up on a film set and who was responsible for the weapon. The production's armorer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and served an 18-month sentence; the case against the actor holding the gun was dismissed. In 1993, a similar failure had killed actor Brandon Lee on the set of "The Crow".
Sources
In the game
Blank Round
Pinnacle Studios, Burbank, California, 1947. 2:10 pm. On the western street set of "The Last Sheriff", star Rex Calloway fell into the dust during the duel scene and never got up again.
The game borrows only the situation: a prop gun that should have held blanks and fires a live round. The sabotage plot, the characters and the outcome are fiction and bear no relation to the real people.
