The Rookie stars Nathan Fillion and Richard T. Jones shoot gunfight scene with airsoft guns… following new ban on live guns on set in the wake Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting on Rust

• Filming for the ABC police drama The Rookie picked back up on Friday with a gunfight scene 
• The films comes in the wake of the tragic shooting on the set of the film Rust involving Alec Baldwin last month
•  One precaution included a new mandate, which went into place one day after that deadly shooting on the set of Rust
• The mandate bans all ‘live’ weapons on The Rookie sets moving forward
• With the ban on live ammunition, the cast use now be using airsoft guns, which are basically replica toy guns 

Filming for the ABC police drama The Rookie picked back up on Friday with a gunfight scene.

And in the wake of the tragic shooting on the set of the film Rust involving Alec Baldwin late last month, the cast and crew are taking extra precautions when it comes to the use of firearms.

Those extra precautions include a new mandate, which went into place one day after that deadly shooting on the set of Rust, that bans all ‘live’ weapons on The Rookie sets moving forward.

New gun protocols: Nathan Fillion and Richard T. Jones were back shooting The Rookie wielding airsoft guns, following the new ban on ‘live’ ammunition on the set

With the ban on live ammunition, the cast are now be using airsoft guns, which are basically replica toy guns.

They are a special type of low-power smoothbore air guns designed to shoot non-metallic spherical projectiles, such as plastic or biodegradable resin materials.

Stars Nathan Fillion and Richard T Jones, who play John Nolan and Wade Grey on The Rookie respectively, were spotted on the set checking and holding airsoft guns in preparation for their scenes, and then again while shooting their actual scenes. 

Just before they went into action in character, the armorer on set could be seen approving the weapons for cast members as well as refilling the air in between scenes. 

Afterwards, the stars handed the airguns back to the armorer for safe keeping.

Safety first: Just before the actors resumed the gunfight, the armorer on set could be seen approving the weapons for the cast as well as refilling the air in between scenes

After the armorer’s inspection, Fillion took some time to inspect the replica gun himself

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter showrunner Alexi Hawley also informed ABC executives that production would no longer be using quarter or half loads while filming the series. 

Over the past two seasons, the series primarily used CGI to portray muzzle flashes but occasionally used ‘live’ weapons on ‘big, outside set pieces.’ But with the new gun protocols in place that practice has essentially ended. 

The policy changes, which were outlined in a memo to the staff by Hawley, were designed to improve the safety on the set of the Entertainment One and ABC Signature series.  

‘As of today, it is now policy on The Rookie that all gunfire on set will be with Air Soft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post,’ Hawley wrote in the memo that was dated October 22, adding. ‘There will be no more “live” weapons on the show. The safety of our cast and crew is too important. Any risk is too much risk.’ 

Gunfight in action: Once the director yelled ‘action’ the cast stepped up the high-octane energy for the scene

The airsoft gun in this scene is a special type of low-power smoothbore air guns designed to shoot non-metallic spherical projectiles, such as plastic or biodegradable resin materials

Afterwards, the stars handed the airguns back to the armorer for safe keeping

Season four of The Rookie premiered on September 26, and is expected to air on ABC for several more months. 

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was wounded when Baldwin fired a revolver, which had been provided to him as a prop, on the set of the film Rust in Bonanza City, New Mexico. 

The tragedy has sparked a debate about occupational safety in the film industry, the treatment of its employees, and the use of real guns as props. 

The incident is being investigated by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, and the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau.

New safety measures: The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed the ban on live guns and live ammunition to the cast in a memo one day after the fatal shooting on the set of Rust involving Alec Baldwin

New season ongoing: Season four of The Rookie premiered on September 26

Source: Read Full Article