Michael Bay has reportedly been charged with the murder of a pigeon in Italy.
The alleged death of the bird took place when Bay was shooting 2018’s Netflix film 6 Underground in Rome.
The blockbuster director has denied the charges, but Italy’s authorities are refusing to throw the case out.
Pigeons are a protected species in the country and Italy’s laws mean it’s illegal to kill, harm or capture a wild bird.
What’s more, in the EU as a whole, pigeons are protected under a law known as the Birds Detective.
Bay, 57, has strenuously denied claims he murdered a pigeon, noting: ‘I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist.’
Speaking to the Wrap, he added: ‘No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.’
Bay also insists he has ‘clear visual evidence’ disputing the incident.
But Italian authorities aren’t convinced. According to an insider, the bird was killed after being hit by a dolly and someone on set is said to have taken a photo of the alleged incident before reporting it to police.
But Bay was quick to fire back, saying: ‘We have clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims.’
He also insisted his evidence ‘disproves their one paparazzi photo — which gives a false story’.
Bay and his team have unsuccessfully tried several times to have the case cleared and is being held responsible for the bird’s alleged death because of the fact he directed the film.
The Transformers directed also revealed he’d declined the option to pay a small fine and settle the case.
‘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 shared.
6 Underground’s principal production kicked off in July 2018 and had wrapped by December that year.
The film was led by Ryan Reynolds, who played a billionaire named One who embarks on a mission to recruit a team to fake their own deaths so they could form a powerful vigilante squad in secret.
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