Michael Bay denies Italian pigeon killing accusations

American film director Michael Bay has denied accusations that a pigeon was killed while filming a movie in Italy.

The Transformers director is reportedly facing charges for the deceased bird.

According to a report from The Wrap, the revered filmmaker said that he is an “animal lover” and “activist” and that no animal in his production was hurt in the process.

In Italy, a national law protected under the EU’s Birds Directive, prohibits the capture, killing, and harm of birds.

Italian authorities have reportedly claimed that a protected homing pigeon was murdered during the 2018 production of the action film 6 Underground.

The bird was allegedly killed by dolly during a shoot on set in Rome. A source also said that an anonymous crew member allegedly took a photo and informed the police.

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“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,” Bay told The Wrap.

Although he couldn’t get into specifics about the case, Bay continued to tell the outlet that he was “confident” that there would be justice in court.

Bay further claimed that Italian authorities offered him a chance to settle, but he declined, noting that he didn’t want to “plead guilty” to hurting an animal.

The film, which was released in 2019, stars Ryan Reynolds and chronicles the lives of six people who fake their deaths and form an anonymous vigilante group to take down criminals.

This is not the only incident where Bay has received public ridicule.

In a 2009 Wonderlandinterview, Megan Fox slammed the filmmaker for telling her to “be hot” on the set of Transformers.

This interview, according to PEOPLE, was allegedly the moment that led to her termination from the cast. She didn’t appear in the third film.

Indy100 reached out to a representative for Bay for comment.

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