Who composed the music for the James Bond film Skyfall?

Thomas Newman composed the music for the James Bond film Skyfall.

Released in 2012, Skyfall marked Newman’s first Bond score. He replaced David Arnold, who had composed the music for the five preceding official films beginning with Tomorrow Never Dies. Newman’s score combines orchestral suspense with recurring musical ideas associated with Bond and MI6.

Sam Mendes directed Skyfall and had previously worked with Newman on several films. Newman was already known for scores such as The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Finding Nemo and Wall-E. His Bond work earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.

John Barry remains one of the series’ most influential composers, having scored numerous Bond films from Dr. No-era composer Monty Norman’s original theme onward. David Arnold later returned to Bond-related work through other projects, but Skyfall itself is credited to Newman. The film’s title song, performed by Adele, was written separately from Newman’s score.