Amazon Prime Video seems to have taken a shot at “modernizing” James Bond, but not with a Walther PPK. If you’ve logged in recently to watch one of 007’s adventures, you might have noticed something strange about the thumbnails. The guns are gone. Vanished. Erased from history as if Bond’s decades-long love affair with firearms never happened.
Every poster-style image for the films on Prime has been “cleaned up.” Whether it’s Sean Connery’s Goldfinger, Pierce Brosnan’s GoldenEye, or Daniel Craig’s Skyfall, you won’t see a pistol in sight. The guns have either been cropped out, Photoshopped away, or in some cases replaced with… nothing at all, leaving Bond looking like he’s posing for a GQ shoot rather than preparing to save the world.
On Reddit, fans didn’t hold back their frustration. “What’ll they do next, change the names of the films to less violent sounding titles?” one user asked. Another suggested, “At least make it funny and give them finger guns.” A third called it “absolutely barbaric! Why have the films if they can’t condone their inclusion?” The forum is now full of memes where users swapped out guns for food, Nerf blasters, or anything else that might give Bond’s empty hands some purpose.
The account SpyHards on X pointed out that nearly every Prime poster has received this treatment. It’s not just one or two films. From Dr. No to Spectre, the iconic spy has either been left with awkward poses or suspiciously long limbs thanks to some overzealous retouching. One fan summed it up perfectly: “Welcome to a world where promoting James Bond 007 needs to be done without his sidearm.”
Take Dr. No, for example. The new version has Connery folding his arms like he’s waiting at the DMV. A View to a Kill stretches things out with what looks like Roger Moore’s elongated arms. Brosnan in GoldenEye is now staring contemplatively, as if pondering why his weapon vanished. And poor Craig in Spectre has been left with an empty holster that looks more like a Photoshop oversight than an intentional choice.
The strange part is that these changes are limited to Prime’s listings. If you search for physical copies (Blu-rays, DVDs, or the classic theatrical posters on Amazon Marketplace), the guns are still there. It’s only on the streaming service where Bond has been stripped of his signature look. For a franchise that literally branded him “the man with the golden gun,” that’s a curious decision.
Of course, this is all happening while Amazon prepares its first Bond outing (Bond 26) with Denis Villeneuve set to direct and Steven Knight penning the script. Tanya Lapointe, Villeneuve’s wife, will executive produce alongside Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
Will Amazon Prime Video’s marketing for future James Bond films also come gun-free? Will 007 now be known for his sharp suits, fast cars, and… jazz hands?
RELATED: A Young Australian Actor Is Being Pushed To Play James Bond
