Grammy Award-winner Kanye West will interpret the theme to Mission: Impossible: III, bringing his inventive, masterful, and dynamic style to the iconic song. Dubbed "the smartest man in pop music" in an October '05 TIME Magazine cover story, West -- who is also nominated for an additional eight Grammys at the upcoming 48th annual ceremony -- continues the tradition of groundbreaking and innovative artists performing the classic theme, as members of U2 did in 1996 for Mission: Impossible, followed by Limp Bizkit in 2000 for M:I-2.
Tom Cruise said, "As a fan of Kanye's work, I was thrilled at the prospect of him contributing his talents to 'M:i:III.' 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."
Director J.J. Abrams said, "My goal is to take the 'Mission' franchise and re-interpret it to make a movie that is familiar, but absolutely brand new. Kanye has done just that with his version of the classic Lalo Schifrin theme, and we're thrilled to be working with him."
Producer Paula Wagner added, "With each 'Mission' installment, we have always put a team together that was representative of the very best at their respective crafts. With the addition of Kanye West's music to 'M:i:III,' we continue that tradition. His powerful, emotional style is the perfect complement for the mix of drama and action that is in this film."
Mission: Impossible: III stars Tom Cruise and is directed by J.J. Abrams. The film also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, and Laurence Fishburne. The action thriller was shot on location in Shanghai, Rome, Berlin, and parts of the United States. Mission: Impossible: III is scheduled for release on May 5, 2006.
