The Flight, composed of Alexis Smith and Joe Henson, crafted the music for IO Interactive's 007 First Light, a video game released in May 2026 that presents a new origin story for James Bond as a 26-year-old MI6 recruit [1, 2].
The composers were instructed by IO Interactive to hold back on big orchestral moments, giving those dramatic flourishes only when the player earned them. Joe Henson said, "The main thing from IO Interactive was to hold back those [big orchestral] moments to give it to the player when he's earned it" [1].
There were no strict style guides restricting their use of the iconic James Bond musical theme within the game, allowing The Flight to experiment with different approaches. They mixed traditional Bond brass and string elements with modern electronics and synth sounds to create distinct atmospheres for different game locations [1].
The Flight collaborated with Lana Del Rey and composer David Arnold, who created the game's main theme song, to integrate the theme melody at specific emotional points, enriching the narrative impact [1].
Alexis Smith, who grew up on 1980s and 1990s Bond films, including a special admiration for Tina Turner's GoldenEye theme, initially had reservations about taking on the project due to her non-traditional music background. IO Interactive reassured her that the game would tell a fresh Bond origin story, which encouraged the duo to join [1, 2].
In 007 First Light, Bond is portrayed as a green-horn MI6 agent, voiced by Patrick Gibson, distinct from the seasoned spy seen in recent films. Smith described Bond's status as "someone who is going to get there, but you're not there yet" [2].
The game's release in May 2026 marked a notable addition to the James Bond franchise, blending a contemporary score by The Flight with an origin story exploring Bond's early career [2].
