Warrant: Baldwin Not Aware Of Live Round Before Shooting 

►"Cold gun." An assistant director unwittingly handed Alec Baldwin a loaded weapon and told him it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fatally shot a cinematographer and injured the director on the set of Rust, court records released Friday show.

"Cold gun," the assistant director announced, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court. Instead, the gun was loaded with live rounds, and when Baldwin pulled the trigger Thursday on the set of the Western, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was struck and killed, law officials said. Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, was wounded. The story.

—"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness." Baldwin on Friday expressed his "shock and sadness" over the tragic incident on the set of Rust that killed Halyna Hutchins and injured Joel Souza. The actor tweeted, "My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna." 

Baldwin was interviewed Thursday by investigators, Juan Ríos, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, told THR. Ríos said Friday that interviews were ongoing and evidence was still being collected. No charges had been filed. The story.

—"There are rules that are supposed to be followed." The family of Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee who was fatally wounded by a prop gun while filming The Crow in 1993, has been overcome with sadness and frustration in learning that another accidental fatal shooting occurred on a film set.

Lee’s sister, Shannon, told THR that her heart was broken for all involved in the Rust tragedy and that her family was once again processing their own pain and she called for real guns need to be banned from Hollywood sets. The story.

—Immediate change. ABC's The Rookie is banning “live” weapons on its set, effective immediately, following the fatal shooting on the set of Rust. Showrunner Alexi Hawley led the charge for the change as sources say he informed ABC executives that production would no longer be using quarter or half loads while filming the Nathan Fillion-led drama. The story. 

Hayden Christensen Returning to 'Star Wars' With Disney+ Series 

►Bring back Jar Jar. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Hayden Christensen reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, in Ahsoka, the latest Star Wars live-action series from Lucasfilm and Disney+. Dave Filoni is writing the series and exec producing with Jon Favreau.

Rosario Dawson is starring as the fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi Knight survivor popular on the animation side of Star Wars who made her live-action debut in the second season of The Mandalorian. It is unclear how Skywalker, or for that matter, Vader, will figure into Ahsoka, which, like Mandalorian, is set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and therefore after Vader’s death. The story.  

—Strong start. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune delivered $5.1 million in Thursday evening previews from thousands of theaters across North America, with Imax theaters accounting for 30 percent of the movie’s early business. Dune will easily win the weekend box office race, but judging its theatrical performance will be complicated by the fact that it is also available at home on HBO Max due to WarnerMedia’s pandemic-era hybrid release strategy. Tracking suggests Dune will open in the mid-$30 million range. The early box office report. 

—Family affair. George Lopez will star in and executive produce a comedy called Lopez vs. Lopez, which has received a formal pilot order at NBC. Lopez’s daughter, Mayan Lopez, will also star and serve as a producer. The network gave the project from Universal Television a put pilot commitment in June; it’s likely to be a contender for NBC’s 2022-23 schedule. The story.

—"Moves with its signature confidence and aesthetic elegance." THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews the fifth and final season of HBO's Insecure. The final chapter of Issa Rae’s acclaimed series ties up loose ends and burrows more deeply into the friendship that started it all. The review. 

—"A visually stunning narrative rooted in a rich cultural history." Lovia also reviews The Book of Life director Jorge R. Gutiérrez’s animated series Maya and the Three. The Netflix series, starring Zoe Saldana, chronicles the adventures of a Mesoamerican teen. The review. 

—Redstone pushes inclusiveness. Ahead of ViacomCBS’ annual Inclusion Week, chair Shari Redstone told staff in a video message that “we want to be a place where you can be your authentic self and know that your voice is heard.” The story. 

Gosling in Talks to Join 'Barbie' Movie  

►Ken you believe it. Ryan Gosling is in final negotiations to join Margot Robbie in Warner Bros.' live-action take on Barbie, taking on the role of Ken. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, the duo known for their quirky and critically loved dramas, wrote the script for the long-gestating project with Gerwig set to direct. Robbie is starring as Barbie and producing the project via her LuckyChap banner. The story.   

—Climate change is already scary. New Line has picked up Thaw, an original horror script from San Andreas co-writer Jeremy Passmore. Gunpowder & Sky is producing with Adam Goldworm of Aperture Entertainment. Plot details are being kept under the ice but it is described as an environmental horror thriller. The story. 

—Facing trial. A plea deal between British rock icon Rod Stewart and Florida prosecutors fell through Friday, meaning he and his adult son Sean are again scheduled to stand trial on charges they battered a security guard during a New Year’s Eve bash nearly two years ago. The story.  

—Double feature event. Array is opening up its Los Angeles campus on Oct. 31 to host filmmaker Mira Nair as part of a double feature screening event that will showcase her films Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding. The latter film will screen first and be followed by a special conversation between Nair and Array founder Ava DuVernay. The story. 

Peter Scolari 1955-2021 

►"He was a fantastic person." Peter Scolari, an Emmy winner whose credits also included Newhart, HBO’s Girls and Evil and who starred opposite lifelong friend Tom Hanks in the early 1980s sitcom Bosom Buddies, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 66. The obituary.  

—Hollywood remembers Peter Scolari. Bob Newhart, Jane Lynch, Harvey Fierstein, Lena Dunham, Andrew Rannells and Evil co-creator Robert King were among the stars and collaborators who posted tributes to Scolari on Friday. The tributes.

In other news... 

—TV ratings: Law & Order: SVU 500th episode tops scripted fare

—Big Brothers Big Sisters L.A. gala raises over $1m

—Mystery shrouds sale of Beyonce, Jay-Z’s Baroque New Orleans church

—German film and TV companies, Netflix launch green production initiative

—Oscars: Hong Kong picks Zero to Hero for international feature category

—Robert Durst charged with murder in disappearance of wife Kathie Durst

—Dune star Stephen McKinley Henderson on playing a human-computer and that parasol

—Ed Brubaker and his Reckless journey: Winter Soldier co-creator talks pulp heroes and his Marvel years

What else we're reading...

—"Internal Alarm, Public Shrugs: Facebook’s Employees Dissect Its Election Role" [New York Times]

—"Rust Crew Describes On-set Gun Safety Issues And Misfires Days Before Fatal Shooting" [Los Angeles Times]

—"The Huge Hidden Cost of Holding a Blockbuster" [Vulture]

—"Fox Weather is Stockpiling Meteorologists and Taking on the Weather Channel" [Bloomberg]

—"How Pickleball Won Over Everyone From Leonardo DiCaprio to Your Grandparents" [Vanity Fair]

Today... 

Today's birthdays: Ang Lee (67), Margaret Qualley (27), Ryan Reynolds (45), Emilia Clarke (35), Sam Raimi (62), Saycon Sengbloh (44), Amandla Stenberg (23), Dwight Yoakam (65), Ireland Baldwin (26), 'Weird Al' Yankovic(62), Alex Gibney (68), Vivian Bang (38), Prabhas (42), Cat Deeley (45)