Michael Bay facing charges of Italian bird murder
Bay has apparently been facing legal issues in Italy for years, relating to an alleged pigeon death during the filming of 6 Underground
Aux News Michael Bay
Director Michael Bay was forced to give exactly the sort of press statement you hope to never have to give today, declaring, for all the world to see, that he did not murder an Italian bird.
This is per The Wrap, which reports on a statement that Bay made this afternoon in relation to allegations that he’s been facing for fully 5 years now at this point, ever since the filming of his Netflix movie 6 Underground. While making the movie in Rome, the story goes, a dolly allegedly hit and killed a homing pigeon—which, like all pigeons, are apparently a protected species in Italy. A photographer supposedly took a picture of the aftermath and submitted it to the authorities, who’ve been after Bay ever since. (The Wrap notes that the government apparently offered to let Bay off with a small fine…but he refused to take any plea that involved pleading guilty to harming an animal.)
Here’s a portion of Bay’s 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…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 and his legal team have apparently made at least three efforts to get the charges thrown out of the Italian courts, to no avail.
6 Underground was released back in 2018; it stars Ryan Reynolds as a billionaire who forms a squad of international vigilantes who travel the planet, righting wrongs, and absolutely not murdering any birds. The film carries a notification that “American Humane monitored some of the animal action. No animals were harmed in those scenes.”
36 Comments
The Italians failed to take into account one thing: anything hitting anything on a Bay movie set explodes into a massive fireball.
Roll camera, aaand… ACTION:
If he needs to make this go away I know a guy in sunny South Philadelphia who told be that he specializes in bird law.
But has he ever defended anyone on trial for mass birder?
I don’t know the answer to that. I do know that he managed to get my spotted owl barbecue plead down to a small fine and surrendering my frozen leftovers.Not too bad, even if the whole thing wasn’t worth it in the end. It turns out spotted owl is not very good.
Just the best goddamn bird-lawyer in world
And I thought you guys mean Harvey Birdman. My bad
Right?
Lmao I came here to say this
If he wanted birds to asplode he should have fed it Alka-Seltzer.
Simpsons taught me that it was rice that makes birds asplode.
So are Italian pigeons exceptionally slow and stupid or was Bay using a rocket powered dolly for this film?
Those both sound really plausible
It was a brief explanation, but it sounds like it was an accident. Not like the crew were getting their jollies swinging the dolly around aiming for endangered avians.
6 Undergound is somehow one of the worst, yet least memorable films I’ve ever seen.I watched it when it came out and, having completely forgotten I’d seen it, watched it again during lockdown. I’d easily call it Bay’s worst because it’s so anonymous and dull.
We watched it while high. I remember enjoying it immensely and I don’t remember anything about it except for… a giant magnet?
Deny everything, Baldrick!
You don’t remember that they are ghosts? They only being it up in every scene.
You don’t even sound too sure about the magnet.
Fucking memory, how does it work?
I think there’s a magnet in our brains.
Bay is the last person I would have expected to direct the Tom Lehrer biopic, but I’m intrigued.
That song was the first thing to come to mind.We’ve gained notoriety
And caused much anxiety
In the Audubon Society
With our games
They call it impiety
And lack of propriety
And quite a variety
Of unpleasant names
But it’s not against any religion
To want to dispose of a pigeon
I’m glad I went with the classy reference and not the “Mama Mia!” I started typing.
Why would Italians want to protect pigeons? They’re basically flying rats.
It’s the mascot of the Italian Air Force.
And yet somehow John Woo still walks free.
“as a well known…..” I’m gonna stop him here, in 2016 didn’t his production company forgot to pay for portapotie rental and instead had crew members poop in a bucket in rental vans. And before then had to go through the writers guild because there were too many writers involved for him to get a “michael bay film” on Armageddon. Or how about the legal problems of the Island. So there’s a sketchy history of bay’s “creative film making” experiences.
The Italians are ignoring the real crime, for some reason. Go after him for making that movie in the first place.
I can’t help but hear the term “Italian bird” in an Austin Powers voice.
And now back to Interesting People! Our first guest is American filmmaker, Michael Bay, who can make pigeons explode! Can’t get more interesting than that, now can you?
“Well this is some bullshit!”
a dolly allegedly hit and killed a homing pigeon—which, like all pigeons, are apparently a protected species in ItalyHonestly this is the weirdest part of the story to me. Why are pigeons a protected species in Italy in the first place? They’re not exactly endangered. Do they have dirt on the government? Do they work with the mob? What do the birds know and when did they know it?