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‘The Boys’ Showrunner Eric Kripke Has Pledged To Ban Gunfire From His Sets Following The Fatal Shooting On Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’

The Boys is known for relishing ultra-violence, and that’s putting it mildly. Heads have literally exploded on the show, both spontaneously and as part of sex act, with more expected to come from the third season premiere. The show never shies away from overdoing everything, and that includes taking aim at the fetishization of gun violence. Showrunner Eric Kripke has showed off a satirical ad (for an upcoming episode) that plays on Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” only it’s “Girls Just Want To Have Guns.” When it comes to actually using guns during the filming of episodes, however, Kripke is declaring that he’s drawing a line.

This announcement arrives after the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Rust. All indications were that the film has seen a very troubled production, and given that this situation happened years after Hollywood aimed to take the issue more seriously (following Brandon Lee’s death after being hit by a blank during The Crow), clearly, something must be done. Kripke is taking action (The Boys‘ Soldier Boy actor Jensen Ackles, a longtime Kripke collaborator, also stars in Rust) by straight up vowing to ban “guns with blanks” on his sets. He’s calling this a simple, easy pledge: “We’ll use VFX muzzle flashes.” He added, “Who’s with me?”

Mare Of Easttown director Craig Zobel is with him. “There’s no reason to have guns loaded with blanks or anything on set anymore,” he tweeted. “Should just be fully outlawed. There’s computers now. The gunshots on Mare of Easttown are all digital. You can probably tell, but who cares? It’s an unnecessary risk.”

In addition, ABC’s The Rookie has banned live weapons on set, and on a related note, The Boys star Jack Quaid has reposted an Ackles Instagram entry, which asks people to donate money for a Halyna Hutchens scholarship fund.