Dwayne Johnson announces his productions will only use rubber guns after Rust shooting

Dwayne Johnson
(Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

The death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Alec Baldwin's movie Rust has sparked growing calls to ban real guns from movie sets — and now, The Rock is on board.

Dwayne Johnson at the premiere of his new film Red Notice said movies and TV shows made by his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, will no longer use real guns on set, Variety reports. The decision was made after Hutchins was killed in an accidental shooting during rehearsal of a scene on Rust. The film's director was also injured.

"We're going to switch over to rubber guns, and we're going to take care of it in post," Johnson told Variety. "We're not going to worry about the dollars; we won't worry about what it costs."

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Real guns with blanks are often used on film sets in order to make scenes look more realistic. In the case of the Rust shooting, officials say Hutchins was apparently struck by a lead projectile, though they're still trying to determine how live rounds ended up on set. In the wake of the tragedy, there have been calls to ban weapons capable of carrying live rounds and instead use rubber guns enhanced with digital effects. The ABC cop drama The Rookie has already banned live weapons from set, while The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke promised there will be "no more guns with blanks on any of my sets ever." Others have argued such a step is unnecessary and that following proper safety protocols would have prevented the Rust tragedy.

Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions has produced a number of his films including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jungle Cruise, and Red Notice, as well as the upcoming DC movie Black Adam. The actor told Variety he was "heartbroken" by the Rust shooting, adding, "We lost a life. My heart goes out to her family and everybody on set."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.