Alec Baldwin is stepping back into the action-movie world — and his latest role is already stirring up controversy.
The 68-year-old actor has signed on to star in Panic Button, a gun-heavy thriller that comes years after the fatal shooting on the set of Rust, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded.
Baldwin will appear alongside David A. R. White, Jeremy Piven, Leven Rambin and Ocean White in the upcoming movie, directed by Juan Boffill.
But news of Baldwin’s casting has reportedly raised eyebrows, with some critics questioning why the actor would choose another firearm-filled project after the tragedy that changed his life and career.
“There is no doubt Alec remains a respected performer, but taking on another firearm-focused thriller so soon after everything surrounding Rust is bound to divide opinion,” a source said.
“Some people will see it as simply another acting job, while others feel it inevitably reopens painful memories of what happened on that set.”
The insider claimed Baldwin’s involvement has already sparked backlash online and concern among some people in the entertainment industry.
Panic Button follows a highly organized security chief, played by White, who wakes up next to a dead woman and discovers he has been framed for her murder.
With two determined FBI agents chasing him, the man must stay alive long enough to prove his innocence.
Baldwin and Rambin play the federal agents pursuing him, while Piven portrays his business partner. Ocean White plays his daughter.
Filming is taking place in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and South Carolina.
The screenplay was written by Matthew Eason and Tommy Blaze, with Blaze also serving as a producer.
Director Juan Boffill said the movie is designed to deliver the kind of fast-moving suspense audiences have long enjoyed.
“Audiences have an enduring appetite for smart, high-stakes action thrillers, and Panic Button delivers a ride filled with suspense, danger and unexpected twists,” he said.
Boffill compared the film to action classics including The Fugitive and Taken, describing it as the story of a wrongly accused man racing against time with nowhere to turn.
Baldwin’s latest role comes nearly five years after the deadly shooting on the New Mexico set of Rust.
In October 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene with a revolver he believed was safe when the weapon discharged a live bullet.
Hutchins, 42, was fatally struck, while Souza, then 48, was wounded.
The shooting led to years of investigations, lawsuits and criminal proceedings, while also sparking a major debate over how firearms should be handled on movie sets.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied intentionally pulling the trigger and maintained that he did not know the gun contained a live round.
He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case against him was dismissed in July 2024 after a judge found that prosecutors had failed to turn over potentially important evidence to the defense.
Other legal disputes connected to the shooting continued after the criminal case ended.
The tragedy also led to renewed calls for stricter safety rules and greater use of replica weapons and visual effects during film productions.
The actor has openly admitted that the Rust shooting left him emotionally shaken and uncertain about whether he wanted to continue working.
During an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Baldwin described Hutchins’ death as an “unspeakably difficult” tragedy.
He said the ordeal caused him to stay home for much of the following three and a half years.
“I hardly worked at all,” Baldwin said, before revealing that his schedule was finally beginning to pick up again.
“I’m going to go off and do a bunch of things,” he explained.
Still, Baldwin admitted that spending so much time at home had changed his priorities.
“I got used to it, and I don’t want to leave my house anymore,” he said. “I don’t want to work anymore. I really don’t. I want to retire and stay home with my kids.”
Baldwin shares seven children with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, 42. He is also the father of daughter Ireland Baldwin, 30, whom he shares with former wife Kim Basinger, 72.
Now, with Panic Button moving forward, Baldwin appears to be putting those retirement thoughts aside — even as his return to a gun-filled thriller threatens to reopen one of Hollywood’s most painful controversies.
