Skyfall Soundtrack

Skyfall is a 2012 British spy film, the twenty-third in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the villain. It was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan, and features the theme song "Skyfall", written and performed by Adele. It was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Columbia Pictures. The story centres on Bond investigating an attack on MI6; the attack is part of a plot by former agent Raoul Silva to discredit and kill M as revenge for having betrayed him. The film sees the return of two recurring characters after an absence of two films: Q, played by Ben Whishaw, and Moneypenny, played by Naomie Harris. Mendes was approached to direct after the release of Quantum of Solace in 2008. Development was suspended when MGM ran into financial trouble, and did not resume until December 2010. The original screenwriter, Peter Morgan, left the project during the suspension. When production resumed, Logan, Purvis, and Wade continued writing what became the final version. Filming began in November 2011, primarily in the United Kingdom, with smaller portions shot in China and Turkey. Skyfall premiered in London at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 October 2012 and was then released in the United Kingdom on 26 October and the United States on 9 November. It was the first James Bond film to be screened in IMAX venues, although it was not filmed with IMAX cameras. The release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the series, which began with Dr. No in 1962. Skyfall was well-received by critics, being praised for its acting (particularly by Craig, Bardem, and Dench), screenplay, cinematography, Mendes's direction, musical score, and action sequences. It was the 14th film to gross over $1 billion worldwide, and the first James Bond film to do so. It became the seventh-highest-grossing film at the time, the highest-grossing film in the UK, the highest-grossing film in the series, the highest-grossing film worldwide for both Sony Pictures and MGM, and the second highest-grossing film of 2012. The film won several accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards and two Grammy Awards.