Animal cruelty on set is rare, but when it happens, the story spreads like wildfire. The director is often to blame. This time, 6 Underground director Michael Bay found himself at the center of accusations that a pigeon was killed by a camera arrow while filming a 2019 action movie in Italy. After it was reported that the Italian authorities had charged the director in the 2018 incident, Bay decided to establish the facts about the Netflix film.
The prolific director logged into his Instagram account to dispel any misconceptions about the rumored pigeon killing incident. The alleged charges are reported by The Wrap along with Bay’s statement. After the story was published, Bay decided to set a record with Variety with the help of his lawyer. While he gave the entertainment magazine a good rebuttal, the Ambulance director didn’t finish telling his side of the story as he gave more details. According to him:
THE WRAP wrote a defamatory article before he found out the facts! The stunt involves 26 stuntmen, 7 cars, 250 crew members, 10 security personnel, 3 pigeon breeders, 1 veterinarian. ALL THE HOUSE PIGEONS have arrived home safely!! Most people know that I am a fierce animal rights activist. This CLICKBAIT header (as the author told my representative) was shamelessly made for views. We presented 20 witnesses, they did not provide any to the court. If Italy is so determined to protect this bird, perhaps we should start by excluding the pigeon from the Italian menu in some rumored Italian restaurants.
Michael Bay seemed offended by the inaccuracy, especially given his reputation as a well-known animal rights activist. He wanted his followers to know what was going on during the filming of the scene of the alleged pigeon killing incident. In a truly directorial style, the director outlined what was happening on the set and in the courts.
Michael Bay was upset by the fact that the report seemed to be in favor of the Italian courts without taking into account all the facts. Of course, Bay had to deal a small blow to the country for allegedly having an endangered bird on the menu of some restaurants. Given the seriousness of the case, he did not approve of using his name for views after talking to The Wrap.
Of course, Michael Bay could not go into details, since, as reported, the court case is still ongoing. As an animal lover, it turned out that the director of Transformers made sure that all precautions were taken for the birds, despite the alleged incident. The alleged incident attracted more attention than the 2019 Netflix action movie, which received mixed reviews from critics. The reception of the film led to the rejection of the proposed franchise. If you want to go back to 6 Underground, check out the thriller by subscribing to Netflix. While you’re there, watch the best movies on the streamer.
