Micheal Bay–American film director and producer–denied a report that claims he was charged with killing a pigeon during the filming for the 2019 Netflix film 6 Underground in Rome, Italy.

“False, Reckless, and defamatory” was how Bay described the report, explaining that he was not charged with killing an animal.

According to a legal letter obtained by Variety, Bay’s attorney is requesting a correction from TheWrap, after they published a report claiming that Bay was charged with killing a pigeon on the set of 6 Underground.

Mathew Rosengart, Bay’s attorney, replied to the claims of the published report saying:

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TheWrap cited a source with knowledge of the production, who said that a dolly allegedly killed a homing pigeon during a take. The source on set witnessed the incident, took a photo, and reported it to Italian authorities. Another source that TheWrap cited mentioned seeing a large group of pigeons and a wind machine in the scene.

“Those statements are simply wrong; they are also harmful."

Pigeons are a protected species in Italy. The Italian national law prohibits harming, killing, or capturing all wild birds, including pigeons.

Bay did not get into the details of the incident because the matter is still an ongoing court case. However, he did say:

He also added that he is a well-known animal lover and a major animal activist. He added:

“I would not plead guilty to having harmed an animal.”

In a legal letter, Bay’s attorney writes that the filmmaker was

“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 adds that TheWrap was made aware of video evidence rebutting these allegations before publishing the story.

“Never accused, much less ‘charged,’ with ‘killing’ an animal.”

Bay’s attorney says that the only charge in Italy concerns whether, in his capacity as the film’s director, Bay failed to properly supervise crew members responsible for handling the animals on set.

Bay also said that there is video evidence, witnesses, and safety officers that can refute these claims.

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In July 2018, the principal production of 6 Underground started in Italy. Some filming sites included Rome, Sienna, and Florence.

The film starred Ryan Reynolds as One, a billionaire leading a team of six individuals who fake their deaths and form a squad that aims to take down some bad guys.

Netflix, the streamer of 6 Underground, did not comment on this report. Italian authorities did not respond either, even though TheWrap requested them to comment on the matter.