Prime Video edits James Bond posters to remove firearms

Prime Video quietly replaced promotional artwork for the James Bond catalog this week after fans noticed the iconic spy had been depicted without his firearm in newly posted images on the streaming service. The changes, spotted around James Bond Day on October 5, involved cropping or digitally removing guns from posters for multiple Bond films, prompting an online backlash and prompting Prime Video to swap the altered images for film stills.

Viewers who compared the new thumbnails with the original artwork found a range of edits. In some cases the weapon was cropped out of frame. In others the images appear to have been retouched to erase the gun and reconstruct the background, producing awkward results such as unnaturally positioned arms or what some users described as stiff posing. One actor who commented on the altered images said they "looked as if Bond was making an offensive gesture." Prime Video declined to comment on the edits.

Following the initial outcry, Prime Video removed the controversial artwork and replaced it with official stills from the films. Observers noted that several of those replacement images likewise do not show the actor holding a firearm, either...