Italy does not mess with pigeons.
Protected species, capturing, injuring or killing them is illegal.
And Michael Bay pays the price.
According to
The Wrap
,
the filmmaker is accused by the Italian authorities of having killed a pigeon during the filming of
6 Underground
in 2018. Information relayed by the American media,
"false and defamatory"
, according to the director's lawyer Mathew Rosengart, who wanted to clarify the situation in a letter obtained by
Variety
.
The Wrap
roughly reported facts dating back to 2018 and was ordered to publish a corrigendum.
The media reported that an anonymous individual present on the set would have witnessed the death of a carrier pigeon by a cart in the middle of a catch in Rome.
Photo in support, he would have reported the incident to the Italian authorities, who would have accused the filmmaker of having killed the animal.
“Michael Bay has never been charged with killing an animal,
” the council wrote to the media
.
And prior to publication, you were made aware of the existence of video evidence disproving these claims and demonstrating that at no time was an animal harmed, let alone "killed".
Furthermore, as you also know (but have not published), the only "charge" at issue in Italy concerns the question of whether, in his capacity as director of the film, Mr. Bay did not properly supervised the crew members (whom he did not even have the ability to hire) responsible for handling the animals on set.”
In a statement sent to
The Wrap
, Michael Bay categorically denies these accusations:
“I am a well-known animal lover and a major activist for their protection.
No animal involved in the production was harmed or mistreated.
Or any other production I've worked on for the past thirty years
.
Amicable agreement
In the press release, the filmmaker also mentions an amicable agreement proposed by the Italian authorities which he refused.
Convinced of his innocence, he preferred to let justice take over the case.
"The Italian authorities offered me a way to settle this case by paying a small fine, but I refused to do so because I would not plead guilty to injuring an animal
," he told AFP.
The Wrap
.
Before adding:
“We have clear video evidence as well as a multitude of witnesses and security personnel exonerating us from these allegations.
And refutes their only paparazzi photo – which gives a false story.
There is a court case pending, so I cannot go into details, but I am confident that we will prevail in court.”
Production of
6 Underground
began on July 30, 2018 in Italy.
The film was shot in Rome, Florence, Siena and Taranto.
The action film, broadcast on Netflix in 2021, features Ryan Reynolds, playing a billionaire at the head of a group of six people who fake his death, to forget their criminal past in order to fight in all freedom from the wicked of this world.
