Director Michael Bay, accused of having killed a pigeon during the production of the film “6 Underground”, denies the facts.
As MovieWeb reports, Michael Bay is currently facing charges from Italian authorities for allegedly killing a pigeon while filming his 2018 Netflix movie 6 Underground with Ryan Reynolds. made to The Wrap, the director attempted to clarify the matter, denying the facts.
I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist. No animals involved in the production were harmed or compromised. Or any other production I’ve worked on for the past 30 years.
While feral pigeons are considered pests in some countries, they are a protected species in Italy and are also protected by the European Union Birds Directive. Thus, capturing, killing or injuring in any way a pigeon in Italy is illegal and according to a source present on the set of 6 Underground, a carrier pigeon was hit and killed by a film trolley during a scene in Rome. According to the incident report, the individual witnessed the incident, took a photo and informed the police. However, Michael Bay’s statement contradicts these claims.
We have clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses and security guards who exonerate us from these allegations. And refutes their only paparazzi photo – which gives a false story. There’s a court case going on so I can’t go into detail but I’m confident we’ll prevail when I have my court hearing.
REFUSAL OF AMICABLE AGREEMENT
Michael Bay also added that since the charges were laid, he and his legal team have tried to have the case thrown out of court but their efforts have been unsuccessful and, as he is the director of the film, he is considered to be responsible. The filmmaker went on to reveal that he had been given the opportunity to settle the case out of court but had refused.
The Italian authorities offered me a chance to settle this case by paying a small fine but I refused to do so because I will not plead guilty to harming an animal.
Adamant, it seems that the director is not worried about the litigation and is even confident about its outcome. The case, rather unusual, is therefore to be followed!
6 Underground is available to stream on Netflix.