James Bond video game 007: First Light will feature a main title theme sung by Lana Del Rey, publisher IO Interactive has announced.
Bond fans have long suspected Del Rey is behind 007: First Light’s title track — ever since she registered a fresh song titled “First Light” to the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) database late last year. Del Rey had used her real name, Elizabeth Grant, for the registration — but internet sleuths quickly connected the dots.
Now, the track is live on Del Rey’s YouTube channel — and it sounds a fitting Bond song, while also playfully referencing the fact First Light is a video game (and perhaps also Del Rey’s own iconic tune, Video Games). Veteran Bond composer David Arnold (who scored five Bond films, from Tomorrow Never Dies to Quantum of Solace) is behind its score.
“Can’t say I’m surprised to see you running toward the sun,” Del Rey sings. “It’s the first light of day… Ah, you’re ready? All the fates just watch you, dying just to know whether you’ll play your life like a game.”
The track is a fitting addition to the franchise for Del Rey — who previously recorded her 2005 track “24” to feature in Daniel Craig movie Spectre, the franchise’s 24th film, only for Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On the Wall” to ultimately be chosen in its place instead.
007: First Light has suffered a string of leaks over the past few months, and perhaps most notably this week, when the game’s ending was accidentally made available publicly due to a major slip-up by the Indonesian ratings board. With just six weeks still to go until the game’s launch, IO has been keen to keep much about the game under wraps to avoid spoiling narrative surprises.
The long-awaited next game from the developer of Hitman, 007: First Light features a starry cast and big ambitions to kickstart a fresh James Bond game trilogy. While its story remains largely secret, we know it’ll feature a fresh-faced incarnation of Bond played by Dexter: Original Sin star Patrick Gibson, in a new origin story that features The Eternals’ Gemma Chan, The Walking Dead’s Lennie James, and The Hunger Games’ Lenny Kravitz.
Following an earlier delay, 007: First Light is now set to launch on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 27. A Switch 2 version is also set to follow — though not until “later this summer.”
Of course, Del Rey isn’t the only music mogul involved with the project. Singer and actor Lenny Kravitz will star in the game as Bawma, a villain who at one point hangs poor Bond upside down and threatens to feed him to a pair of waiting crocodiles.
Image credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
