Michael Bay denied a report claiming he was accused of killing a pigeon while filming for the Netflix movie 6 Underground.
MichaelBay–American film director and producer – denied a report alleging he was accused of killing a pigeon while filming for the 2019 Netflix movie 6 Underground in Rome, Italy.
“False, reckless and defamatory,” is how Bay described the report, explaining that he was not charged with killing an animal.
According to a legal letter obtained by Varietyasks Bay’s attorney for correction from TheWrap, after they published a report alleging Bay was accused of killing a pigeon on the set of 6 Underground.
Mathew Rosengart, Bay’s lawyer, responded to the claims of the published report, saying:
“Those statements just don’t make sense; they are also harmful.”
TheWrap quoted a source with knowledge of the production as saying that a dolly allegedly killed a homing pigeon during a shoot. The source on set witnessed the incident, took a photo and reported it to Italian authorities. Another source citing TheWrap mentioned seeing a large group of pigeons and a wind machine in the scene.
Pigeons are a protected species in Italy. Italian national law prohibits harming, killing or capturing all wild birds, including pigeons.
Bay did not elaborate on the details of the incident because the case is still a pending lawsuit. However, he did say:
“I would plead not guilty to having harmed an animal.”
He also added that he is a well-known animal lover and a great animal activist. He added:
“Not a single animal involved in the production was hurt or injured. Or on another production I’ve been working on for the past 30 years.”
In a legal letter, Bay’s lawyer writes that the filmmaker was
“Never been charged, let alone ‘charged’ with ‘killing’ an animal.”
He adds that TheWrap was made aware of video evidence refuting these allegations before the story was published.
Bay’s lawyer says the only charge in Italy relates to whether Bay, in his capacity as director of the film, failed to properly supervise the crew members responsible for handling the animals on set.
Bay also said there is video evidence, witnesses and security officials who can refute these claims.
In July 2018, the main production of 6 Underground started in Italy. Some filming locations were Rome, Siena and Florence.
The film starred Ryan Reynolds as One, a billionaire who leads a team of six individuals who fake their deaths and form a team whose goal is to take down some bad guys.
Netflix, the streamer of 6 Underground, did not comment on this report. The Italian authorities have not responded either, although TheWrap has asked them to comment on the matter.