Lana Del Rey may be getting another shot at recording a James Bond theme song with the upcoming video game 007 First Light. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter was supposedly in the running to perform the theme song for 2015’s Spectre, before Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” was chosen.
A new song called “First Light” was registered by Lana Del Rey with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), as discovered by Reddit user ConversationDue8475. Del Rey is listed in the registration as the writer of “First Light” under her real name, Elizabeth Grant, with Universal Music Corporation as the publisher. There is no concrete connection between the song and 007 First Light, but the game’s release date is set for March 27, 2026, so a theme song announcement could be coming.
Lana Del Rey Was In The Running To Perform The Spectre Theme Song
“24” Is Hinted To Have Been Recorded As A Bond Theme
IO Interactive’s 007 First Light isn’t the first time Lana Del Rey has been rumored to be making a Bond theme song. A decade ago, rumors circulated that “24,” which would eventually release on Del Rey’s third studio album Honeymoon, was recorded as a potential title track for Spectre, the 24th film in the Eon Productions Bond franchise. Del Rey later mentioned to BBC News (via TikTok) in 2024 that “24” was written “for them,” as a Bond theme song.
The co-writer of “24,” Rick Nowels, has also alluded to the song being written for Spectre. It is known that other artists were in the running; Radiohead released its submission for the theme song, eponymously called “Spectre,” roughly a month after the film premiered. Only one official Bond theme song has been released since: Billie Eilish’s “No Time To Die,” which accompanied the 2021 film of the same name.
007 First Light’s Theme Song Could Be Officially Revealed Soon
The Release Date Is Approaching
Ahead of its March 27, 2026, release date, there has only been one showcase of 007 First Light gameplay, courtesy of a special edition of PlayStation’s State of Play. Theme songs have long been a Bond franchise tradition, dating back to the second Eon film, From Russia With Love, but becoming a staple of the intro credits sequence with the third, Goldfinger. The video games have followed suit, with the likes of James Bond 007: Nightfire and James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing both receiving original songs by popular artists.
Positioned as a major comeback to the medium for the franchise, 007 First Light will presumably have its own theme song, and working with a major artist like Lana Del Rey would certainly draw a lot of attention. It’s now commonplace for Bond themes to debut before the film they accompany, and a new song from Del Rey would be a major promotional moment for the game. 007 First Light‘s take on Bond is a slightly different tack, but it’s hard to envision the game being such a departure that it forgoes a theme song.
- Released
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March 27, 2026
- Developer(s)
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IO Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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IO Interactive
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
- PC Release Date
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March 27, 2026
