It's been said that the past always comes back to haunt us, which is exactly what has happened with Michael Bay. The famed Transformers director is facing prosecution for allegedly killing a pigeon in Italy while filming the 2018 Netflix film, 6 Underground.
Italian law strictly prohibits the capture, harm, or killing of any wild bird, which makes pigeons a protected species. Italian authorities claim that a homing pigeon was killed on the film's set, and this allegation has been backed up by a source that claims to have witnessed the pigeon's death. The anonymous source shot a photo that showed evidence of the pigeon being accidentally killed by a dolly while filming and forwarded the image to the relevant authorities.
Bay, though, has come forward to refute the accusation. In an interview with The Wrap, Bay stated:
I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist. No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.
We have clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims. And disproves their one paparazzi photo — which gives a false story.
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.
The American director was asked to pay a settlement fine by the Italian authorities in an effort to resolve the case without going to court, but Bay declined the offer and insisted on his innocence.
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.
The Netflix action film that stars Ryan Reynolds, Melanie Laurent, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Corey Hawkins, and Dave Franco is one of Netflix's most expensive films, with a production budget of $150 million.
Over 83 million people watched 6 Underground in the first four weeks after it came out. Netflix initially had plans to make a sequel but, because of the film's mixed reviews, the streamer shelved the follow-up film.
Speaking of Michael Bay, the box office magnet is now taking on more producing roles in his project. He's currently signed on as a producer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which got a new trailer last year that all but confirms its premiere on June 9.
