Credit: MGM/EON ProductionsFor over 60 years, James Bond has stood as one of cinema’s most recognizable icons: a suave secret agent, an action hero, and, for some, a product of his times.
Since Sean Connery first stepped into the tuxedo in 1962’s Dr. No, Bond’s swagger, wit, and affection for gadgets and danger made him a symbol of cool. But over the decades, particularly in more recent years, the character has been criticized for his “womanizing” tendencies — a trait that now sit uneasily with many modern audiences.
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But now that the property is owned by Amazon MGM, it seems other aspects of Bond’s personality could be under threat.
Last year, Prime Video altered classic James Bond posters displayed on its streaming platform. Films from Goldfinger to Skyfall appeared with guns digitally removed from Bond’s hands, a decision that sparked a backlash from fans who saw it as unnecessary tampering with franchise history and identity.
Those fans argued that the legacy of Bond is part of what makes the character compelling.
Naturally, this has left many longtime fans worried about Amazon MGM’s upcoming film reboot, which has Dune (2021) director Denis Villeneuve onboard. While an actor has yet to be cast as Bond, industry chatter points to him being “younger” and “Gen Z” in nature, which would undoubtedly clash with how the character has been depicted for well over 60 years.
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But before the next big-screen version of Bond arrives, a brand-new video game will give us a new iteration of the iconic MI6 superspy. “007 First Light”, the next major entry in the storied James Bond universe, is aiming to strike a balance between legacy and evolution.
Instead of simply repeating the old formula, the team behind the upcoming third-person action-adventure is openly grappling with how to preserve what fans love about the character while addressing his more outdated traits.
According to IO Interactive’s Martin Emborg, narrative and cinematic director for the game, the developers have made a conscious choice to somewhat update Bond’s portrayal for the present day.
As Emborg put it in an interview with MonsterVine in December when asked if we will still see Bond as a “smooth talker” and an occasional womanizer, “Yeah, you will.”
However, he adds that he won’t be “your old school Bond” and will “reflect modern values”:
“But obviously, as they were saying on stage before, the character Bond has evolved. So, he’s evolved through the decades, and obviously, we reflect modern values. So it’s not going to be your old school Bond, which would just be tone deaf in this day, right? He’s a modern guy.”
While it sounds like the “old school Bond” is still there, Emborg and his team are at the same time leaning into a version of the character that feels like “a modern guy,” without losing the core elements of charm, intrigue, and espionage that define him.
Some will cheer the effort to bring Bond into alignment with current cultural values, while others worry that sanitizing his flaws could dilute what made him unique in the first place. Fortunately, it sounds like we won’t be losing the main qualities — warts and all — that make up his character.
Watch the official trailer for the game below:
When Is “007 First Light” Out?
“007 First Light” has been delayed from its initial March 27, 2026 launch to May 27, 2026.
The game is a third-person, story-driven action-adventure in which players follow Bond through his earliest missions and key moments that define his path into 00 status.
In the game, Bond is played by Irish actor Patrick Gibson, best known for Dexter: Original Sin.
Are you excited about playing “007 First Light”? Are you worried about how Bond will be depicted in the film reboot? Let us know in the comments below!