Michael Bay has been charged with killing a pigeon while directing Netflix’s Ryan Reynolds-starring 6 Underground in 2018.
As reported by TheWrap, Bay could be charged with animal cruelty in Italy after a dolly allegedly struck and killed a pigeon while filming a scene in the city of Venice. An unnamed witness apparently took a picture of the dead pigeon, and reported the incident to Italian authorities.
Bay has since denied the “false story,” reminding fans that he’s a “well-known animal lover.”
“I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist,” Bay said in a statement to TheWrap. “No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.
“We have clear video evidence,” Bay added, “a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims. And disproves their one paparazzi photo — which gives a false story.”
According to Bay, authorities gave him a chance to settle the matter, but he chose not to do so as it would force him to plead guilty to harming the pigeon.
“I was offered by the Italian authorities a chance to settle this matter by paying a small fine, but I declined to do so because I would not plead guilty to having harmed an animal,” Bay explained. “There is an ongoing court case so I cannot get into the specifics, but I am confident we will prevail when I have my day in court.”
