canon : A word to describe something that is true to the original story; Things considered ‘canon’ are basically considered ‘true’ (in the story) [Urban Dictionary].

In 2002, James Bond Movie Posters by Tony Nourmand was published [1].

It’s hard to say if his book ever answered the title question posed above, to any extent, for the EON Productions entries. But the 200-plus pages of referenced images have proven most helpful to finding the answer here.

Full-color marker-art for the very first film, Dr No (1962), makes it clear that James Bond movie posters [Nourmand, 10-11] are obviously not bulletproof references for accoutrements such as wristwatch [2] and firearm identifications [3].

But when “does ‘crossing the line’ become an issue in movie marketing?” asked writer Daniel Dreszer [4].

The mere notion of such a thing appears to have been long ago deemed irrelevant [5].

‘I see the James Bond posters and that draws my attention because I like all the James Bond films …. It’s just a nudge that says, “The James Bond situation has a new film out.” I’ll go and see it, whether the poster is good or not.’

In support of the first four with Sean Connery, concepts became increasingly more elaborate, certainly; but they maintained anchors to the actual content being sold.

Then in 1967, You Only Live Twice took clear steps, literally, to break with that, as “Zero-Zero” was depicted strolling along the rim of a Volcano Lair, unmussed in business attire [Nourmand, 62].

Such iconic imagery suggested that James Bond would conquer any environment in which he found himself, bending it to his will and whims. That overarching message significantly recurred throughout “The Golden Era of Movie Poster Artists” [6] — onward with subsequent actors George Lazenby [Nourmand, 68-69] and Roger Moore [Nourmand, 121].

The print-marketing vision for You Only Live Twice could not have been more antithetical to is corresponding on-screen story arc. In that movie, a lynchpin of mission success relied upon the ability of Agent 007 to thoroughly become Japanese. When he penetrated the SPECTRE rocket complex, he did so in the garb of a ninja.

The movie poster depiction of that climactic sequence was not canonical. And, as the years have gone on, it’s become less exception than rule.

Modern assessments seem to imply that there has never been an interest in that, anywhere [7-9]. Hence, it’s fool’s errand to argue how an Aston Martin ragtop might have been driven on snow with outriggers deployed in 1987 [10].

It has been posited that the “best” of these “set the stage for what’s to come” [11] — as opposed to any “what is.” That is how it looks.

© 2025 Dell Deaton, All Rights Reserved. USA

References

  1. James Bond Movie Posters: The official 007 collection / 2002 / Tony Nourmand (Chronicle Books: San Francisco).
  2. “Gruen 510 Precision [9/12/3 starburst]” / December 16, 2013 / Dell Deaton / James Bond Watches (accessed August 12, 2025).
  3. James Bond: The Legacy / 2002 / John Cork and Bruce Scivally (pages 38 and 29; Harry N Abrams: New York).
  4. “Movie Posters: The Good, The Bad, and The Deceptive in Film Advertising” / October 16, 2024 / Daniel Dreszer / Medium.
  5. “One-Sheet Wonders: the art, psychology and people behind film posters” / November 22, 2022 / Ella Kemp / Letterboxd.
  6. “Movie Poster Artists – A Chronology” / January 2, 2019 / Adam Kennedy / Art of the Movies.
  7. “WTF Happened to Movie Posters?” / November 25, 2013 / GoodBadFlicks (via Youtube).
  8. “The History of the Hollywood Movie Poster” / December 6, 2017 / Filmmaker IQ.
  9. “What Killed The Movie Poster?” / May 2023 / Nerdstalgic.
  10. “The Living Daylights (1987) Original British One Sheet and Printer’s Proof” / March 16, 2025 / Kudos Memorabilia (via Internet Archive).
  11. “The Art of the Movie Poster: Why It Still Matters” / June 2, 2025 / Claire Parker / the chase creative consultants.