Amazon Prime Video is walking back a move that left James Bond fans shaken — and not stirred.
The streaming giant faced massive backlash after it digitally erased guns from promotional artwork featuring past Bond actors like Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. In the edited images, each 007 appeared awkwardly empty-handed instead of gripping his signature weapon.
Fans spotted the change on October 5 — James Bond Day — and social media exploded.
“They photoshopped all the guns out of the James Bond movie thumbnails,” one user wrote. “Just in case you still had hope for Amazon being in charge of the franchise.”
Actor Rufus Jones joked that the edits made the iconic spies look ridiculous, writing, “Amazon have removed the guns from their Bond posters, giving the tantalising impression that Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan think you’re a wanker.”
Others mocked the move as over-the-top. “Gaaagh! I feel my testosterone levels dropping just looking at these,” one fan said. Another quipped, “When are they giving the characters on the posters purple hair and a mask?”
Amazon later swapped out the edited posters for new artwork featuring movie stills. None, however, depict Bond with a gun.
The controversy comes after Amazon acquired the rights to the Bond franchise in 2022, promising to “honor the legacy” of the British spy series that has grossed more than $7 billion worldwide since 1962’s Dr. No.
The last Bond film, No Time to Die, starring Daniel Craig, hit theaters in 2021 after pandemic delays — and so far, no new 007 project is on the horizon.