MGM Reportedly Having Unauthorized Bond 25 Videos Removed From Twitter

Anticipation is building for No Time to Die, the upcoming twenty-fifth film in the James Bond saga. According to a new report, that might come with a pretty specific side effect. The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that several behind-the-scenes videos from the set of No Time to Die were reportedly hit with online copyright requests by MGM. The article specifically cites videos of a car chase filmed last month, which featured an Aston Martin car speeding through the streets of Italy.

According to the report, videos of the open-air shoot made their way to social media and various James Bond blogs, only to be quickly removed. Videos on Twitter fared the same result, after a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown request was filed by MarkMonitor, a company reportedly hired by MGM. The takedown request reportedly referred to the videos as "unauthorized behind scenes", leading to some accounts having as many as 20 videos of the chase scene removed.

In a way, it's easy to see why MGM could possibly be worried about the cell phone video, especially after the film has already endured a change in director, an on-set accident, and several release date changes. But for avid fans of the Bond franchise, this decision seems to be having a sort of "Streisand effect".

"My theory is someone has overreacted somewhere at MGM," 007 expert Bill Koenig, who runs the Spy Command spy blog, said of the takedowns. "But by doing this, they're drawing attention to the videos."

No Time to Die will see Daniel Craig once again reprise his role as the iconic superspy, potentially for the last time. The film will follow Bond as he has left active service. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

The cast of No Time to Die will also include Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Winshaw, Jeffrey Wright, Ralph Fiennes, and Rami Malek.

"There's been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women," Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who co-wrote the script, explained in a previous interview. "I think that's bollocks. I think he's absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn't have to. He needs to be true to this character."

"I just want 
to make sure that when they get those pages through, that Lashana, Léa and Ana open them and go, 'I can't wait to do that.'" Waller-Bridge revealed. "As an actress, I very rarely had that feeling early in my career. That brings me much pleasure, knowing that I'm giving that to an actress."

No Time to Die is expected to debut on April 8, 2020.