Halyna Hutchins Remembered as Unique Talent, Loving Mother at L.A. Memorial

►"Grief and disbelief." Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died Oct. 21 following an on-set tragedy while shooting the film Rust in New Mexico, was memorialized Sunday night during an emotional candlelight vigil, hosted by International Cinematographers Guild 600 and held at the Burbank headquarters of IATSE Local 80 on W. Olive Avenue. 

THR's Chris Gardner was at the vigil where the speakers included Rebecca Rhine, national executive director of Local 600; John Lindley, president of Local 600; Stephen Lighthill, a director of photography who mentored Hutchins at AFI; Mike Miller, vp of IATSE; and Emelia Mendieta Cordova, a close personal friend and fellow cinematographer. The story. 

—"Pause rather than an end." In a letter sent to crew Sunday, and obtained by THR, the team behind Rust is wrapping production on the movie until police investigations into the fatal on-set shooting incident are complete, although producers have not ruled out restarting project at a later date. 

Also on Sunday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office released a pair of warrants that laid out the timeline of events that led up to the shooting and its immediate aftermath as ascertained by investigators. The documents also include statements from the director Joel Souza and camera operator Reid Russell. According to the documents, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene and practising drawing the gun from his holster to point it at the camera when the weapon was discharged. The story. 

—"I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna." In his first public statement since the shooting, Rust director Joel Souza spoke of the tragic loss of his cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who he said "always pushed me to be better." The filmmaker also spoke to the outpouring of support he’s seen following news of his hospitalization. The story.

—"She had a spunk and passion." Rust star Jensen Ackles also paid tribute to Hutchins on Instagram, writing, "Earlier last week I felt compelled to tell Halyna just how awesome I thought she was... She laughed and said thank you and gave me a hug. I’ll forever be thankful we had that moment." The story. 

Hollywood Munitions Experts Grapple With 'Rust' Tragedy   

►"You never aim a weapon directly at anyone, period." As questions swirl again about on-set gun safety and who could be at fault for the Rust shooting incident, THR's Chris Gardner and Gary Baum spoke to veteran Hollywood munitions experts about on-set safety, including Bryan W. Carpenter, an armor and weapons master who has been working in the space for 30 years. The tactical trainer says there are fundamental safety rules you never breach when using guns for film and TV productions, guidelines that also translate to real life. The story.  

—Morning John. MSNBC has found the new host for its early morning program Way Too Early. Jonathan Lemire, who was most recently the White House bureau chief for the Associated Press, will take over the 5 a.m. slot that was vacated by Kasie Hunt over the summer. The story.

—"This place changed my life, twice." Hosting SNL for the first time, former castmember Jason Sudeikis used his monologue to talk about how the variety show changed his life and joked about how Ted Lasso became such a runaway hit. He also highlighted some of the "comedy heroes" (Tina Fey) and veteran musicians (Elvis Costello) who have "run around" through the halls of Studio 8H over the years. The story. 

—Printing money. FaZe Clan, the group of esports competitors and social media creators, will go public through a merger with a SPAC. The IPO will provide an influx of cash to FaZe, which is led by CEO Lee Trink. The estimated $291 million raised will be used to fund growth into things like consumer goods and the metaverse. The story.

'Dune' Opens to Strong $40.1M, Hits $200M WW 

►We want a God Emperor of Dune movie! In a much-needed win for Warner Bros., Dune had a strong $40.1 million opening at the domestic box office despite facing competition (self-sabotage?) from a dual release on HBO Max and a lengthy run time reducing the number of screenings. Opening in 4,125 theaters across North America, the sci-fi epic became director Denis Villeneuve's top domestic opening of his career besting the $32.8 million Blade Runner 2049 made in 2017, not adjusting for inflation. 

THR's Pamela McClintock writes that globally, Dune sailed past the $200 million mark. Overseas, the movie earned another $47.4 million from 75 markets for a foreign tally of $180.6 million and $220.2 million globally. Although, the film is still a long way off from recouping its $165 million budget and additional marketing costs. 

Of the weekend’s other new releases, Disney and 20th Century’s animated film Ron’s Gone Wrong, opened to a tepid $7 million-plus and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch earned $1.3 million (more on that below). The box office report. 

—Timothée Chalamet, reigning box office champ. In a win for the arthouse market, The French Dispatch posted the top opening theater average of the pandemic era. The Searchlight Pictures movie grossed $1.3 million from 52 cinemas in 14 U.S. markets, or $25,000 per location, besting Venom 2's $21,309. The story. 

—The spice must flow in the Middle Kingdom. Dune also made a solid start in China this weekend, opening to a healthy $21.9 million. But the sci-fi epic proved no match for local blockbuster Battle of Lake Changjin, which added another $32.3 million to its mammoth box-office total despite opening nearly a month ago. Battle has now earned an incredible $828.1 million and will likely end up the biggest film of the year globally. The China box office report. 

Review: Chloé Zhao's 'Eternals'

►"A soulful variation on a familiar template." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Eternals, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, the film builds upon Jack Kirby’s 1976 comic about humanoid defenders of Earth and births a new chapter for the MCU, with an ensemble featuring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. The review.  

—"A sometimes provocative, sometimes frustrating mixture of elements." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix’s limited series Colin in Black & White. In their new six-part series, Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick use the former 49er quarterback's adolescence to examine his rise to sports stardom and political activism. The review. 

—"All about the feeling of the places." Oscar-winning production designer Adam Stockhausen spoke to THR about his work on Wes Anderson's typically intricate and fastidious The French Dispatch including creating 130 sets in the small French town of Angoulême for the film. The story. 

—An "agonizing" watch. THR's Jackie Strause speaks to The Morning Show's Billy Crudup on his latest betrayal (for somewhat good reasons) and his character's season two evolution: "He’s navigating such pedestrian things as caring about people." Warning spoilers. The interview.  

In other news... 

—Jay Black, lead singer of rock group Jay and the Americans, dies at 82

—Apple reveals first trailer, release date for Korean sci-fi series Dr. Brain

—Fosse/Verdon, Lovecraft Country stars join “anti-American dream thriller” The Lot

—Ed Sheeran tests positive for COVID-19, will continue performances virtually

—Friends stars pay tribute to James Michael Tyler: "Thank you for being there for us all"

What else we're reading...

—"How Hans Zimmer Conjured the Otherworldly Sounds of Dune" [New York Times]

—"Alibaba Has Lost $344 Billion in World's Biggest Wipeout" [Bloomberg]

—""I Was Out of My Mind": How Samuel L. Jackson’s Battle With Addiction Inspired His Breakthrough Performance" [Vanity Fair]

—"Kevin Smith on Coining ‘Bennifer’ and Trying to Save His Hero Stan Lee" [Daily Beast]

—"Netflix (Still) Isn’t Your Friend" [Slate]

Today... 

...in 1978, writer-director John Carpenter unleashed Halloween in theaters, spawning decades of imitations, sequels and reboots of the iconic horror title. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Mia Wasikowska (32), Adam Goldberg (51), Mathieu Amalric (56), Craig Robinson (50), Gale Anne Hurd (66), Katy Perry (37), Nancy Cartwright (64), Ciara (36), Phil Daniels (63), Antony Starr (46), Leslie Grossman (50), Melinda McGraw (58)