Transformers filmmaker Michael Bay, whose net fortune is reported to exceed $500 million, was recently accused of murdering a pigeon on set. According to rumors, Bay was accused by Italian police in connection with the murder of a homing pigeon on the set of 6 Underground in Rome in 2018. Despite the fact that he has denied killing the bird. Bay stated that he was facing charges, but he did not specify what they were for.
Michael Bay was charged with killing a pigeon in Italy‼️😳 https://t.co/Qby0GMWsjD
— Sloan Ketamine (@Lukewarm30Rack) January 13, 2023
Michael Bay’s biggest revenues have come from his work as a director and producer on various Hollywood films.
Michael Bay has directed numerous successful films, which have helped him build a solid and well-established wealth as well as recognition in the business. Despite the fact that the majority of his films are box office blockbusters, film reviewers typically hold him in poor regard. The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), and the Transformers film trilogy are among his most popular films. Bay has made almost $300 million from the Transformers films alone. Eleven of Bay’s films have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide. It’s the fourth-highest gross profit in Hollywood history for a filmmaker.
Though he is well-known for his work as a filmmaker, it is not his only source of income. Michael Bay has produced and co-produced approximately 50 films in addition to the ones he has directed. He was a creative contributor to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Purge, Bumblebee, and A Quiet Place films, among others. He has served as an executive producer on television programs such as Black Sails, Jack Ryan, and The Last Ship.
Bay’s legal team attempted to clear the matter three times in 2022.
Pigeons, like other birds, are a protected species in Italy, and it is against the law to capture, injure, or kill them. According to a production source, a bird was killed during a dolly shot, and a witness photographed the occurrence and reported it to Italian authorities. Michael Bay, on the other hand, said that his team had clear video footage to refute the charges. Bay stated:
“We have clear video evidence, a slew of witnesses, and safety officials that exonerate us from these charges and refute their one paparazzi shot — which tells a misleading tale.”
The 57-year-old filmmaker claimed to be a well-known animal lover and campaigner. He emphasized that no animal was ever wounded or damaged during the film’s production, nor has any animal been harmed in any other movie he has worked on in his 30 years of experience.
Bay went on to say:
“Because there is an ongoing legal matter, I cannot go into detail, but I am certain that we will succeed when I get my day in court.”
Michael Bay’s legal team had declined to accept the allegations three times in 2022. The Italian authorities even gave the director the option of paying a fee to resolve the matter. However, the director also refused. Bay responded to the offer by saying he would not plead guilty to causing injury to a bird or an animal. The filming of 6 Underground started in 2018 at four locations: Rome, Florence, Taranto, and Sienna. Ryan Reynolds, French actress Mélanie Laurent, Dave Franco, Ben Hardy, Adria Arjona, Corey Hawkins, Lior Raz, and Paymaan Maadi star in the Netflix hit.
