What does the future hold for Alec Baldwin?

Before the news of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump blew him off the front pages, the dramatic collapse of the trial of Alec Baldwin in a New Mexico courtroom was the most discussed story in American public life. Those attuned to cosmic ironies might note firstly that both the Trump and Baldwin stories revolved around the discharge of a firearm — accidentally and fatally in the case of Baldwin, deliberately and non-fatally in the case of Trump — and also in the abiding animosity between the two men, fanned by Baldwin’s continued impersonations of the former (and future?) president on Saturday Night Live.

Yet the question now for Baldwin is what happens next. In truth, the involuntary manslaughter charge that he was arraigned under, for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western Rust, seemed flimsy and unlikely to result in a conviction, but instead something put together by the unnecessarily vindictive prosecutor Kari Morrissey, who seemed to be hoping that victory in a high-profile case such as this would enhance her reputation. The case collapsed so badly and so publicly — including a bizarre moment in which Morrissey herself took to the stand as a witness and was cross-examined as to whether she had described Baldwin as a “cocksucker” and an “arrogant prick” — that it seems unlikely that she will be in her post much longer.

Baldwin, no doubt, is deeply relieved that the case against him has fallen apart, although he may have preferred an acquittal that cleared his name, rather than the chaos of a poorly structured and indeed dishonest prosecution case that was accurately summed up by the judge Mary Marlowe Sommer when she said “if this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching.” In any case, he is now a free man and able to resume a career that has undergone some spectacular highs and lows over the past few decades. Even before the Rust debacle, the question was being asked as to how, and why, an Oscar-nominated actor who is capable of both peerless comic timing (see 30 Rock) and serious intense drama (The Cooler, The Aviator and much else besides) has ended up making such undistinguished rubbish.

Baldwin’s recent cinematic career is not the main matter for discussion in the aftermath of the end of his criminal trial, which has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that he cannot be tried again. The possibility of a civil case looms, but without the rigor that it would have held if allied to a conviction in court. Baldwin will be concentrating on his TLC reality show, The Baldwins, which is due to air next year, and could either be a fascinating fly-on-the-wall account of how it feels to be a major celebrity caught in the middle of a hugely traumatic and stressful occasion, or absurd and over-dramatic fluff. That the documentary was filming amid the Rust trial indicates that Baldwin, who has only made the briefest of public statements saying, “There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now… to all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness towards my family,” will have a great deal more to say in the future, whether on the show or over the course of a lengthy public interview. If Oprah’s people aren’t in touch with Baldwin’s people, this has been an oversight.

And will this once-great actor return to the roles that he deserves? Like his fellow Glengarry Glen Ross star Kevin Spacey, Baldwin knows that the scandal and gossip surrounding him will never disappear despite the absence of a conviction. Had the trial continued, much of the prosecution’s evidence would undoubtedly have been hugely embarrassing for him, but enough mud was flung even before then to paint a picture of someone who was careless and cavalier about safety procedures, on a low-budget film a far cry from the Mission: Impossible and Scorsese pictures that Baldwin has made. He will no doubt be feeling deeply relieved and grateful that this chapter of his life has come to an end — and his hugely expensive lawyers Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas played their hand magnificently in court — but now the rest of his life has to begin. We can only hope that his close brush with imprisonment, and realization that that would surely have ended his career, reignites the fire that has always been there in Baldwin, but for the time being, he deserves to celebrate, relax and take stock. The documentary can wait.