Dwayne Johnson says he won’t use real guns on movie sets after ‘Rust’ shooting
After the “Rust” shooting, Dwayne Johnson won’t be messing with any real guns moving forward — at least not when he’s working.
“Any movie ... that Seven Bucks does with any studio, the rule is we’re not going to use real guns. That’s it,” the actor told Variety at the Wednesday premiere of his new big-budget heist film, “Red Notice.” Johnson was talking about his company Seven Bucks Productions.
Costs, he said, won’t be an issue.
“We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post [production],” he said. “We’re not going to worry about the dollars; we won’t worry about what it costs.”
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of “Rust” in October 2021. A judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against star Alec Baldwin in July 2024.
Johnson’s pledge comes in the wake of Halyna Hutchins’ Oct. 21 death. The cinematographer was pronounced dead at a New Mexico hospital after being shot during a rehearsal on the low-budget movie “Rust.” An investigation is focusing on how a live round or rounds made it onto the movie set and into the gun that was handed to star Alec Baldwin, who discharged the weapon.
Johnson said he was heartbroken over what happened. His company’s decision to leave real guns behind came several hours after he heard the news, he said.
“[W]hen something like this happens of this magnitude, [that is] this heartbreaking,” he told Variety, “I think the most prudent thing and the smartest thing to do is just pause for a second and really reexamine how you’re going to move forward and how we’re going to work together.”
Interviews with multiple members of the “Rust” crew paint an hour- by-hour picture of a cascade of bad decisions that created a chaotic set on which a lead bullet was put into a prop gun.
A state legislator, Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), said last month that he will introduce legislation seeking to ban live ammunition and firearms capable of shooting live ammunition from California movie sets and theatrical productions.
Seven Bucks was founded in 2012 by Johnson and Dany Garcia, his manager and ex-wife. It has been involved with Johnson films including “Baywatch,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Skyscraper,” “Rampage” and installations in the “Fast & Furious” and “Jumanji” franchises.
Former “Rust” camera chief Lane Luper rejects allegations of sabotage floated by attorneys for armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed regarding the shooting.
Nine of Johnson’s 10 highest-earning films — including five “Fast & Furious” installments as well as two “Jumanji” movies, the animated “Moana,” “San Andreas” and “The Mummy Returns” — have incorporated firearms.
“Red Notice,” which also stars Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, is playing in limited release before it begins streaming Nov. 12 on Netflix.
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