Rumors have been circulating for quite a while now that the Grammy-winning British artist had nabbed the coveted project, and the singer posted a photo on Twitter yesterday that seemed to confirm his involvement with the film. Today, Sony Pictures confirmed that Smith will indeed perform the Spectre theme song, Writing’s on the Wall.
Co-written by Smith and fellow Grammy-winner Jimmy Napes, Writing’s on the Wall will be made available to purchase September 25.
“Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for Spectre and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, Writing’s On The Wall will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time,” said Spectre producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli in a statement accompanying the announcement.
Smith shared his own thoughts on becoming part of the James Bond family in a series of Twitter posts.
I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations.
— SAM SMITH (@samsmith) September 8, 2015
Smith, who first gained the attention of the music world last year with his debut album In the Lonely Hour, will now become the first British male solo artist to perform a Bond theme since Tom Jones performed the theme to the 1965 film Thunderball. (Note: British musician Paul McCartney performed the theme to 1973’s Live and Let Die with his band, Wings.)
While the honor of performing a Bond theme song is prestigious in itself, the themes have also yielded the occasional Academy Award nomination, with the themes to Live and Let Die, 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, and 2012’s Skyfall all receiving Oscar nods. Of those four theme songs, only Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth’s Skyfall theme ended up winning an Oscar.
Directed by Skyfall filmmaker Sam Mendes, Spectre puts James Bond (Daniel Craig) on the trail of a mysterious organization with roots that run deeper than anyone suspected after he receives a message from the past. Along with Craig, the film stars Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Jesper Christensen, and Christoph Waltz.
Spectre is scheduled to hit UK theaters October 26, followed by US theaters on November 6.
