'Rust' Director Joel Souza Has No Contact With Alec Baldwin, Regrets Writing Film

The controversial Western film "Rust" finally hits U.S. theaters Friday -- but instead of celebrating, director Joel Souza says he wishes he’d never made it at all.

Joel -- who was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin in a tragic 2021 on-set incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by the same bullet -- said he initially rejected the thought of returning to "Rust" after his hospitalization. But the idea grew on him, especially knowing Halyna’s family wanted the film finished.

Souza reflected on the morning of the tragedy to The Guardian, calling it a domino effect of bad decisions, one after the other -- so he wishes he never went back to "Rust" post-shooting -- in fact, he wishes he hadn’t even written it!

Prop armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is now serving an 18-month prison sentence -- while Alec was acquitted of manslaughter last July.

When it comes to Alec, Joel explained they haven’t talked since the shoot ended -- they're not enemies or friends, but ... zero contact since then.

Joel also chimed in on Alec’s reality show "The Baldwins," where the shooting was brought up -- and he didn’t watch it, joking, "I think I was busy hitting myself in the face with a frying pan that night."