Michael Bay denies killing a pigeon on Italian set of Netflix film
‘I am a well-known animal lover,’ the filmmaker said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Michael Bay has responded after it was revealed he is facing charges for killing a pigeon in Italy.
The director denied allegations that the bird was killed while he was filming a take for 2018 action film 6 Underground, which starred Ryan Reynolds.
He said that he has made numerous attempts to clear the case with Italian officials in recent years.
“I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist,” the Bad Boys filmmaker said in a statement.
The director told 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.”
Authorities are said to be claiming that the homing pigeon was killed by a dolly during a take, with the alleged incident reportedly being caught on video and sent to authorities by an anonymous individual.
However, Bay, who is being held responsible as the director of the film, said: “We have clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims. And disproves their one paparazzi photo – which gives a false story.”
He also said that he declined the chance to settle the case by paying a small fine as he believes it would have been a false admission of guilt.
“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,” he said.
Italian law states that it is illegal to harm, kill or capture any wild bird, including pigeons, which are protected in the EU under the Birds Directive.
“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,” Bay stated.
6 Underground, which also starred Corey Hawkins, Dave Franco and Adria Arjona, was released in 2018.
The Independent has contacted Bay and Netflix for comment.