Alec Baldwin has signed up for his next feature film project Kent State. The movie will tell the true story of the “violent and tragic events of May 4, 1970, when four students were shot and killed by the National Guard during a campus protest against the Vietnam War.”
Baldwin will take on the role of Kent State president Robert I. White. The film is currently in pre-production and it marks the feature directorial debut of Karen Slade, who also wrote the screenplay.
This is an interesting project for Baldwin to take on, especially after the tragic incident on the set of his Western, Rust. That film recently completed production almost 18 months after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set.
The Kent State shootings occurred on May 4, 1970, and they took place during a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The protest was in response to President Richard Nixon’s announcement of the U.S. military’s invasion of Cambodia.
On that day, thousands of students gathered on campus to express their opposition to the expansion of the war. The protest began peacefully but eventually turned tense and confrontational as the National Guard was called in to maintain order. The guardsmen, armed with rifles and bayonets, attempted to disperse the crowd using tear gas.
As tensions escalated, some protesters began throwing rocks and other objects at the guardsmen, who then opened fire on the crowd. In just 13 seconds, approximately 67 rounds of ammunition were fired, resulting in the injury of nine students and the deaths of four others: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. Two of the students killed were participating in the protest, while the other two were innocent bystanders.
The shootings sparked outrage and protests across the nation, with many viewing it as an excessive and unjustifiable use of force against unarmed students. The incident intensified the anti-war sentiment and led to widespread campus protests and strikes. It also highlighted the deep divisions within American society regarding the Vietnam War.
In the aftermath, investigations and legal proceedings took place. The Guardsmen involved in the shooting were charged with various crimes, but their trials resulted in acquittals or dismissals.
Source: THR
