Dwayne Johnson banned firing real weapons on set after Alec Baldwin’s shooting accident

Dwayne Johnson, one of Hollywood’s greatest action stars, will only use rubber guns on his set following the accidental death of cameraman Halina Hutchins on the set of Rust last month.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without a lack of clarity here, that any film we promote with Seven Bucks Productions – any film, any TV show, or anything we do or produce – we’re not at all we will use real weapons, “Johnson said. Variety is interviewed on the red carpet at the “Red Notice” premiere Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Johnson said he was “heartbroken” when he heard that Hutchins had been killed by a rifle fired by Alec Baldwin, and Rust director Joel Sousa was also wounded. The incident forced the actor to change the protocol for filming his future films. Johnson said he will enforce this new rule in any studio he and his production company work with in the future.

“We’re going to switch to rubber weapons and will take care of that by mail,” he said. “We won’t worry about dollars; we won’t worry about how much it costs. “

The term “screw gun” includes a wide range of firearms, including non-functional pistols, hooded pistols, fake pistols made of wood, plastic or rubber, and antique pistols that have been modified to fire blanks or dummy cartridges.

Live cartridges are rarely used in TV or movie scripts, and are usually only used in reality shows such as MythBusters, where they are used to test scientific theories, or Top Shot, where they are used for marksmanship competitions.

In most cases, staged firearms use blank cartridges to mimic the sound and appearance of a real weapon. These casings are loaded with gunpowder, but do not have the same projectile as a bullet. Instead, they are usually replaced with cotton or paper wool. Gaps can be dangerous if you discharge too close to another person.

It looks like Johnson intends to ban all propeller armament that discharges any material, and use non-firing props, which will have special effects like sound and shot bursts added in post-production. Johnson representatives did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for clarification.

Hollywood productions usually have strict safety precautions when performing stunts, especially when it comes to the safety of weapons and props. The Industry-Wide Occupational Safety and Management Committee has prepared and distributed safety bulletins on television and film production best practices.

In fact, the last high-profile gun incident on set was Brandon Lee’s death on the set of The Crow in 1993.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 47 out of 250 film production accidents have died in the film industry since 1990. These incidents include car accidents, heavy equipment injuries and falls from scaffolding.

“I love the movie business,” Johnson said. “There are safety protocols and measures that we have always taken in the film business and we take them very seriously, and these kits are safe and we are proud of that.”

“But accidents do happen,” he continued. “And when something like this happens on this scale, [that is] it’s heartbreaking, I think the wisest and smartest decision is to just stop for a second and really re-examine how you are going to move forward and how we will work together. “

Seven Bucks Productions, founded by Johnson and business partner Dani Garcia, has worked with major studios such as Sony, Disney and Universal to bring big blockbusters such as Jumanji, Jungle Cruise and Fast and Furious Gifts to market. : Hobbs and Shaw. ” big screen.

“In any movie we shoot like Seven Bucks with any studio, we’re not going to use real weapons. That’s all, ”he said.

“Newbie,” an ABC show produced by Hasbro’s eOne, also banned shooting on set immediately after filming “Rust.” Production will use Air Soft pistols and add computer-generated muzzle flashes during post-production.

In addition, dozens of filmmakers have signed a petition asking the entertainment industry to ban the use of “functional firearms” in their productions.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal manufactures and distributes the Fast & Furious franchise.