Grammy Award-winning
rapper Kanye West has been selected to interpret the theme to the latest installment
of the Mission: Impossible movie franchise.
West follows in
the paths of U2, who reinterpreted the theme for the first movie in 1996, and
Limp Bizkit, who recorded their version for Mission: Impossible II in
2000.
Mission: Impossible
III was shot on location in parts of the U.S., Berlin, Shanghai and Rome.
The movie features Tom Cruise as Special Agent Ethan Hunt and also stars Ving
Rhames, Laurence Fishburne, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan and others.
"As a fan
of Kanye’s work, I was thrilled at the prospect of him contributing his talents
to M:I III," said Cruise, who produced the film. "We wanted
to take this installment of Mission to the next level and Kanye’s music
definitely added to accomplishing that goal. As we’ve done with the film, what
he’s done with the Mission theme is going to blow people away."
West, who is nominated
for eight Grammys this year for his sophomore album Late Registration,
is part of an effort to reinterpret the movie, which is directed by J.J. Abrams.
He said West realized his goal of making "a movie that is familiar, but
absolutely brand new."
"West has
done just that with his version of the classic Lalo Schifrin theme, and we’re
thrilled to be working with him," added Abrams.
The movie chain
is based on the ’60s television of the same name and is co-produced by Paula
Wagner, who said: "[West’s] powerful, emotional style is the perfect complement
for the mix of drama and action that is in this film."
Mission: Impossible
III is scheduled for release on May 5, 2006.
