Director Michael Bay has been charged with the killing of a pigeon in Italy during the filming of his Netflix film 6 Underground.

The incident allegedly occurred during the middle of a take in Rome in 2018 when a homing pigeon was killed by a dolly.

The Italian authorities have stated that a homing pigeon was killed during the production of the film in Rome and that the country has a law that makes it illegal to hurt, kill or catch any wild birds.

Pigeons are therefore considered a protected species in Italy as well as the European Union.

Bay has denied the charges and shared that he has tried to clear the case with the authorities over the years, but nothing has come of it.

He said in a statement, “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.”

He also added, “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.”

The incident was reportedly witnessed by an unknown person who took a photograph and sent the report to the Italian authorities.

According to The Wrap, an exclusive report, Michael dismissed the charges against him.

He said in a statement, “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.”

The filmmaker also shared that there was an ongoing court case about it so he could not divulge more, but he was confident that he would have his ‘day in court’.

He stated that he and his lawyers had tried to clear the matter with the authorities during this time.

But they wanted him to settle and pay a small fine which he refused, as it required him to plead guilty to harming an animal.

The production of 6 Underground began in July 2018 in Rome, Florence, Sienna and Taranto and was wrapped up in December 2018.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds as a billionaire known only as One who sets up a vigilante squad with five others who have faked their deaths to go up against the bad guys.

The cast also includes Corey Hawkins, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Dave Franco, Adria Arjona, Ben Hardy, Lior Raz, and Mélanie Laurent.

It’s worth mentioning that Michael Bay’s last film Ambulance was set and shot in Los Angeles, California.

The heist thriller starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as adopted brothers who take over an ambulance after a robbery and take the paramedics, played by Eiza González and Jackson White, hostage.

As a reminder, Italy has a law that makes it illegal to hurt, kill or catch any wild birds.

Therefore, pigeons are a protected species in Italy as well as the European Union (EU) where it’s protected under the Birds Directive.

Michael Bay denies the charges and claims that no animal was involved in the accident.

He also stated that he has clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates him from these claims. He is confident that he will have his day in court.