MOVIE NEWS – Chad Stahelski, the creator of John Wick 4, thinks that the deadly accident that occurred during the filming of Rust, starring Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins, could have been prevented.

Chad Stahelski is not only the director of the John Wick series, but also an experienced action movie maker. After spending twenty years in Hollywood, the former stuntman tells us how guns are handled on set and how to avoid Alec Baldwin’s Rust nightmare.

Stahelski directed all four John Wick films, but he is also famous for taking part in the 1994 film The Crow, where another gun accident took the life of Brandon Lee, the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee’s son. This experience deeply touched Stahelski, who was Lee’s stunt double and whose footage was used to finish the film with Lee’s face replacing his using CGI. Stahelski knows how dangerous firearms can be, so The Hollywood Reporter asked him his opinion on the Rust tragedy.

“What happened on Rust … I wasn’t there, but the accidents that I’ve seen or been part of have always been human error. It’s never mechanical,” Stahelski said. The director recalled his early days when they used blank bullets in films which were still deadly and how they invented electronic and plug guns which make it “impossible for anything to come out of the barrel and total CG. That’s how we do it.” When asked why this type of gun is not used as a standard Stahelski did not hold back.

“There is no reason to have a live firearm on set” he said and if CGI can do so many things “We can do the same with firearms.” He also explained why he thinks Hollywood does not change this practice claiming that the industry has been using real guns for so long that it would make prop houses and armorers impossible. “It would make their entire stock of real firearms useless” Stahelski said. In his view guns are not necessary in films but “The alternative is just going to cost you more money.”

In the end it seems that Stahelski’s words fall on deaf ears as each production will decide how they will handle their own needs in their films. But if money is the only obstacle then benefits outweigh deadly risks when using real guns. In the aftermath of Halyna Hutchins’ death Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed armorer are currently facing trial for potentially negligent practices on set that Stahelski claims could have been easily avoided. It’s good to know that John Wick sets are as safe as possible under Stahelski’s supervision and judging from first reactions to Chapter 4 this Keanu Reeves franchise will continue to be a huge hit once it hits theaters.

Source: GameRant