Adele Rumored to be Singer of 'Skyfall' Theme

What do Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Madonna and Tom Jones all have in common? Besides being some of the biggest-selling recording artists of all time, they've all had a turn singing a James Bond movie theme.

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And now the question arises as to the identity of the next Bond theme singer, whose vocals will accompany the credits of Skyfall, the 22nd 007 movie.

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The rumor mill has been spinning heavily in favor of Adele, an obvious choice not just for her unprecedented success -- her album 21 is the longest-running number one album ever by a female artist -- but also for her big, soulful voice, reminiscent of such iconic Bond theme singers as Shirley Bassey and Carly Simon.

Adele herself might be to blame for that: She let it slip on the U.K.'s The Jonathan Ross Show in April 2011 that she was heading back "in the studio in November" to record "a theme" -- before stopping herself and saying, "Wow. That's really giving something away." (Watch the exchange below.)

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Not missing a beat, Ross hummed the familiar "bum-da-da-bums" of the Bond score music, eliciting loud, nervous laughter from the singer.

Flash forward to well over a year later. The film is set to open on Oct. 23, and still no announcement as to who is singing the theme. The British tabloid press has floated sightings of Adele heading into the famed Abbey Road studios in August, which happens to be where Skyfall's composer, Thomas Newman, is overseeing the soundtrack.

Reps for Skyfall studios MGM and Columbia Pictures had no comment.