It’s only been a year since the world bid farewell to the Daniel Craig era of James Bond, but that hasn’t stopped rumours circulating about who will be brought on to don a three-piece suit, get keys to the Aston Martin and become the next face of possibly the most recognisable and stable series in cinematic history.

With the franchise just turning 60 years old, and executive producer Barbara Broccoli officially confirming that Team Bond intend to spend the next two years ‘reinventing’ the character, the internet has recently gone into overdrive with predictions; Harry Styles, fresh from spitting on Chris Pine at Cannes Film Festival, has had his name bandied around, as has Taylor Swift’s current partner Joe Alwyn, Stranger Things’ newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower, Miles Teller, Idris Elba, Michael B Jordan, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, fresh from The Batman.

While much of the press coverage to date has centred around the next leading man (or, potentially woman, with Lashana Lynch, Gillian Anderson and Ana de Armas all being hyped up for the role), the other big question is who will be cast to pen the next Bond theme?

With the exception of a few outliers, Bond themes over the past 60 years have largely relied on moody, larger-than-life instrumentation, backed by sweeping brass sections, minor chords and blaring horns, stacked with slinky rises and falls that add drama and suspense. But with a ‘reinvention’ of the character on the horizon, Bond’s iconic theme might be getting a shake-up too. And here’s who we think could be on the shortlist...

Radiohead

Radiohead are far from the first act to have a James Bond theme shelved in lieu of a more fitting anthem; over the past sixty years and twenty-five films, almost half of the franchise’s original title track submissions have been subbed out for alternative performances. Johnny Cash, Shirley Bassey and Dionne Warwick all lost out to Tom Jones on Thunderbolt, Muse was replaced with Adele’s track for Skyfall and Alice Cooper’s theme for The Man With The Golden Gun now sits in the James Bond theme song boneyard, alongside commissions from The Pet Shop Boys, Ace Of Bass, Blondie, Pulp and more.

While Radiohead were originally passed on, according to then director Sam Mendes, for Spectre being “too melancholic” (a direction that would later appear on the band’s record A Moon Shaped Pool) it held the hallmark traits of what a good Bond score required and showed that the British outfit understood the product they were writing for. Now, with guitarist Johnny Greenwood’s impressive solo catalog (which includes scores for the likes of There Will Be Blood, Spencer, Phantom Thread and Power Of The Dog) combined with a new era of Bond opening infinite possibilities, it seems only right that Radiohead would be first in line for Bond 26.

Lana Del Rey

It seems unlikely that the producers of James Bond - a franchise dripping in pure boarding school-level Britishness - would employ an artist whose entire iconography is a blue-jean, patriotic, apple-pie-sized love letter to the American Dream. However, it wouldn’t be the first time an American artist was given the nod; Billie Eilish and brother Finneas were at the helm for No Time To Die, Alicia Keys wrote the theme for Another Way To Die alongside Detroit local Jack White and Madonna released what can only be described as the worst Bond theme of all time for Die Another Day. *sigmund freud*

Tracks from Lana Del Rey’s immensely respected back catalogue, stretching from 13 Beaches and Summertime Sadness to 24 and Million Dollar Man already possess many of the hallmark traits that make a great Bond theme. So much so that there’s been a longstanding rumour that 24 from Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon album was actually a rejected Bond theme offering. While this has never been officially confirmed one way or another, it’s proof that her iconic, hazy-yet-mood vocal timbre could put her in the running.

Harry Styles

If you’re only familiar with more recent or surface-level works of the One Direction frontman turned actor, from the insatiable, stadium pop of Watermelon Sugar to the cheeky, '70s-infused power-pop of new record Harry’s House, Harry Styles may seem an unlikely candidate. But deeper cuts embedded within Styles back catalogue, specifically the heartwrenching Falling offer a glimpse into what could be produced if given the opportunity and a full orchestra.

Sia

If you weren’t in primary school in 2016, there’s a higher than average chance that you didn’t see Pixar’s Finding Dory when it came out, let alone hang out in the cinema long enough to catch Sia’s track Unforgettable play as the credits rolled. But if you’re interested in getting an insight into what Sia could produce for a future Bond film, this is a great starting place. Reflective of the earlier years of Bond, when artists like Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra and Don Black brought elements of glossy Hollywood-meets-old-Las-Vegas to the franchise themes, Sia’s Unforgettable might actually be one of the best Bond themes that was never intended for a Bond movie.

Dua Lipa

Rumours about Dua Lipa being brought on to record a Bond theme have been circulating for years. In 2018, the British pop singer spoke to GQ, stating that, “I don’t even know where all these rumours began. But of course I’d love to do the Bond theme tune.” It’s impossible to pin down exactly where the rumour began, but it’s likely that it stemmed from a radio interview with Years & Years bassist Mikey Goldsworthy who explained that they were no longer in the running to record a song for the forthcoming Bond film “as it had been given to Lipa”.

In addition to a constant stream of rumours, a vocal range that mirrors previous Bond theme artists Billie Eilish, Adele, Tina Turner, Madonna and Shirley Bassey (G#2 - D5 - A5 Mezzo-Soprano for you vocal nerds), hailing from Britain and huge following, Dua Lipa would likely bring something fresh to the table when the producers are looking to shake up a brand which has largely followed the same pattern for sixty years.

Beyoncé

Similar to Dupa Lipa, speculations about Beyoncé penning a new Bond theme have been on the books for years, and reached their height in 2020 when the singer posted a cryptic image on Instagram of her sipping a martini with a Bond-esque watch, just three months before the film was due to land. The main theme of No Time To Die ended up going to Billie Ellish, but it’s unlikely the last time we’ll see Beyoncé’s name get thrown into the mix.

While her new record Renaissance slunk deeper into pop-house territory which is unlikely to find its way onto even a fully reimagined Bond franchise, you only need to look at a history that includes records like Lemonade to see an almost perfect synergy. Also… it’s Beyoncé.

Celeste

When it comes to Bond themes, audiences have grown to expect a combination of punchy brass, moody sweeping themes lathered in bruising moments of percussion and deep E minor Major 9 chords slathered in nostalgia of a bygone era. For rising British soul singer and songwriter Celeste - who has always held a penchant for channelling earlier eras - the groundwork has already been laid.

With a husky, jazzy sang-froid that calls to mind the likes of Billie Holiday and Etta Jones, much of Celeste’s back catalogue already mirrors a bizzaro world score for Bond. Tracks like Strange and Lately offer possibly the best insight into what a downtempo Bond theme could sound like in future films.

Portishead

Any Bond fan that’s ever done a deep dive into the music that “should” have been commissioned for a Bond theme will undoubtedly come across Portishead’s name. Tracks like the spy-chord heavy Sour Times and All Mine will inevitably make an appearance thanks largely to the unmistakably dreary, fragile post-modern wails of vocalist Beth Gibbons and the bleak, almost suffocating instrumentals that have echoed throughout.

While it’s been 14 years since the British outfit have released a fully formed LP (and unlikely that we’ll ever see a fourth album) the invitation to pen the new Bond theme could be the push Portishead needs to get back into the studio.

Björk

While Bjork’s track Play Dead might be a dead ringer for a Bond theme, it’s not the closest the Icelandic artist has come to the franchise; in 2018, as part of a compilation series called Cover Bond (Great Music Artists Performing The Songs From Every James Bond Movie!) Bjork performed her own rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s classic You Only Live Twice, putting a slower, more melancholic twist on the 1967 theme and proving that she’d be a perfect option for a future film.

Honourable Mentions:

Lorde

Lizzo

Tori Amos

Conchita Wurst

Massive Attack

Sharon Van Etten