Skip to content
logo The magazine for digital lifestyle and entertainment
A brand of Bild
Amazon Prime Video Film News All topics
Unfortunate Incident

Fans Upset! Amazon Prime Video Faces Backlash Over James Bond

Sean Connery as James Bond
Sean Connery as James Bond–with the iconic Walther PPK Photo: picture alliance / Captital Pictures
Share article

October 7, 2025, 11:40 am | Read time: 3 minutes

Few figures in film history are as iconic as James Bond. Since the early ’60s, the films centered around Ian Fleming’s creation have captivated fans worldwide, and the many trademarks of the secret agent are inseparable from the brand, such as “My name is Bond, James Bond” or “Shaken, not stirred.”

Also a staple: a gun in his hand, preferably the Walther PPK. This is precisely why Amazon Prime Video recently clashed with James Bond fans. The streaming service offers the films, but until recently, they were promoted with artwork missing a crucial detail.

Amazon Prime Video Removed Gun from James Bond

Fans of 007 noticed that while the respective James Bond actor was featured on a poster for each film on Amazon Prime Video, the gun was missing from all of them. On the fan site “MI6-HQ.com,” it was noted that a year ago, they joked as an April Fool’s prank that cigarettes would be removed from all films. The fact that weapons were actually airbrushed out of posters is “a disappointing case of fiction becoming reality.”

X Corp. placeholder
Here you will find content from third-party providers
To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.
In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

Affected are specially crafted posters for the 1962 Bond film “Dr. No” with Sean Connery or “Goldeneye” with Pierce Brosnan, among others. Apparently, the effect was achieved in various ways. For Roger Moore, for instance, the arms seem to have been extended so the gun disappears off the edge of the image. The holster for Daniel Craig, however, remains empty.

It becomes particularly absurd with Connery and Brosnan. Amazon practically snatched the guns from their hands, resulting in them appearing in unnatural poses.

More on the topic

Fans Are Angry–and Have Better Ideas

The reactions were swift, and many fans expressed outrage. Writer Scott McCrea calls the move nothing less than “cultural vandalism,” while others describe it as “malicious,” “irrational,” and “the dumbest thing I’ve seen in weeks.” Some also criticize the apparent double standard at Amazon, as weapons are still visible in other titles.

At least some took the opportunity to suggest humorous alternatives:

X Corp. placeholder
Here you will find content from third-party providers
To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.
In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.
X Corp. placeholder
Here you will find content from third-party providers
To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.
In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.
X Corp. placeholder
Here you will find content from third-party providers
To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.
In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

Amazon backtracks

As reported by “Deadline,” Amazon Prime Video has since responded to the James Bond issue. According to the report, the service removed the criticized graphics without officially addressing them. Instead, there are now stills directly from the respective films. However, they still do not show 007 with a gun, which has led to further criticism:

X Corp. placeholder
Here you will find content from third-party providers
To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.
In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

The company declined to comment on the matter. It remains entirely unclear why Amazon Prime Video wanted to depict James Bond without a firearm. Meanwhile, fans have other concerns, primarily: Who will be the new Bond actor, and how will they be chosen? There are updates that dispel nearly all rumors from recent years.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.

You have successfully withdrawn your consent to the processing of personal data through tracking and advertising when using this website. You can now consent to data processing again or object to legitimate interests.