Alec Baldwin is marking his return to acting with a production on Broadway, according to a report.
The actor has not performed since the tragic "Rust" shooting last year, but a source has now revealed to the New York Post that Baldwin will be starring in a revival of the play "Art" by Yasmina Reza.
Baldwin will be joined by Tony Shalhoub ("The Band’s Visit") and John Leguizamo ("Latin History for Morons"), the outlet reported. Tony-winner Matthew Warchus of "Matilda" fame has signed on as director. He first staged the acclaimed comedy in 1998 at the Great White Way.
The Shubert Organization has promised the production, which is likely to open in spring, a house at a Shubert theater. And while the venue, stars, and director have been secured, there is no producer yet attached to the production. The Post noted that instead, the Creative Artist Agency has fulfilled the role while holding auditions for New York producers.
Reza's play, which originally starred Alfred Molina, Victor Garber, and Alan Alda in New York, won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play.
Baldwin, meanwhile, is no stranger to theater. He has appeared in several productions, including 2013's "Orphans" and in 1992 he was nominated for a Tony Award for playing Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Baldwin's career screeched to a halt following the fatal 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the movie "Rust" in New Mexico. The incident occurred when a prop gun Baldwin was holding during rehearsals discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
In an interview with CNN earlier this month, Baldwin said he had been struggling to go back to work following the incident. The actor said he had lost five jobs since the shooting and would have quit the film business if it were not for the support of his wife, Hilaria Baldwin.
"I got fired from another job yesterday," he said. "There I was all set to go to a movie, jump on a plane ... I've been talking with these guys for months and they told me yesterday we don't want to do the film with you because of this."
During the interview, Baldwin also admitted that he was haunted by Hutchins' death.
"Everybody adored her as a person," he said. "That she died, that's the worst thing of all. Somebody died, and it was avoidable. It was so unnecessary," he added. "Every day of my life I think about that."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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