Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony: Director Hints At Everything From Paul McCartney To Children's Lit

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, who has directed films such as "Slumdog Millionaire" and "127 Hours," has started hinting at what to expect from the London 2012 Opening Ceremony.

To hear Boyle tell it, it will be some kind of extravaganza.

Expected to be viewed by at least one billion people, the Opening Ceremony will begin Friday at 9 p.m. London time -- 4 p.m. Eastern -- and will air on NBC at 7 p.m. It is expected to last three hours.

Preparations for the ceremony have been underway for two years, according to an MSNBC blog. From MSNBC:

"The show opens with a bell being rung and a very key character from our history speaking words from ‘The Tempest': ‘Be not afraid; the isle is full of noises,'" said Boyle. The bell, which will also close the show, weighs 27 tons.

Paul McCartney has confirmed that he will be participating in the Games and though Boyle wouldn't reveal much about the extremely secretive spectacle, he did stop just short of suggesting that the Beatle would make a surprise appearance.

"Something that's very important in our culture is music...and our history of music for such a small place really, popular music is extraordinary," he said. "The most obvious example to begin are The Beatles, obviously."

The ceremony, dubbed "Isles of Wonder," will also include characters from British literature, as well as a cameo from Queen Elizabeth, according to the MSNBC article.