Director Michael Bay Charged With Killing Pigeon in Italy During Filming of Netflix Movie, Denies Claim

photo:Alex J. Berliner/ABImages

Director Michael Bay is facing charged in Italy over killing… a pigeon.

According to The Wrap, the charges stem from an alleged incident on the set of Bay’s 2018 Netflix film 6 Underground, starring Ryan Reynolds.

Italian authorities claim a pigeon, which is a protected wild bird in the region, was slain during production.

According to an insider with knowledge of the production, a homing pigeon was allegedly killed by a dolly in the middle of a take in Rome. An unnamed individual who happened to be on set apparently witnessed the incident, took a picture and reported it to Italian authorities, the insider added.

Because Bay was directing the film in 2018, he is charged with the crime, not the member of the crew allegedly involved in the actual incident. According to The Wrap, Bay has attempted to have the court case thrown out several times to no avail and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

“I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist,” Bay said in a statement. “No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.”

He insisted there is video evidence and many witnesses to the situation which he hopes “exonerates us from these claims.”

Although the Italian courts have offered to settle the charges for a small fine, Bay has refused to plead guilty to harming an animal.

“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 told The Wrap.