Alec Baldwin unpacks 'Rust' shooting aftermath in new documentary trailer

A trailer was posted online Thursday for a new documentary that promises to shed light on the accidental on-set shooting involving Alec Baldwin and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and its aftermath.

Director Rory Kennedy's "The Trial of Alec Baldwin" focuses on the 2021 New Mexico shooting: Baldwin was practicing for a scene in the film "Rust," which he starred in and co-produced. He pointed a prop gun at Hutchins as part of the rehearsal and the revolver went off, firing a live bullet that killed her and injured director Joel Souza.

Baldwin's charge of involuntary manslaughter was dismissed at trial in 2024, when a judge threw out the case following allegations of police and prosecutors withholding evidence from the defense, The Associated Press reported. The armorer on the set of "Rust," Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter that year. She completed her sentence in May 2025.

The documentary trailer shows scenes of Baldwin in the courtroom and on the set of "Rust," as well as his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, in their home.

"If you said to me, 'Hike up Mount Everest and she'll come back,' I'd be packed and ready to go," Alec Baldwin says of Hutchins in the trailer. "Whatever I can do. But there's nothing you can do."

The film's official log-line reads in part: "In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, virtually no one doubts that it was an accident and a deeply traumatizing experience for everyone involved. After the shock subsides, questions of responsibility, guilt, blame, punishment and justice begin circulating in the media, fueled largely by Baldwin’s fame, as well as his reputation."

Kennedy, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who is the daughter of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, began filming Baldwin in 2023, Variety reported. The director was nominated for her film "Last Days in Vietnam" in the best documentary feature category at the 2015 Academy Awards.

The new film will open at the Village East by Angelika theater in Manhattan on Oct. 1. More information can be found on the film's website.

The trailer concludes with Baldwin sitting in a dark room, with a voice-over of the actor saying, "People who watch this will see so much of me at my worst."

Baldwin will be performing in the "30 Rock" 20th anniversary reunion at Radio City Music Hall next month, alongside the rest of the sitcom's lead cast. The Amityville-born, Massapequa raised actor starred as controlling network executive Jack Donaghy in the hit NBC show, twice winning the Emmy for best actor in a comedy series.

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.