Home > 2012 London Olympics > Danny Boyle Brings James Bond & Paul McCartney For 2012 London Olympic Opening Ceremony

27 July, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Danny Boyle Brings James Bond & Paul McCartney For 2012 London Olympic Opening Ceremony

Posted by Shanka Cheryl

Danny Boyle’s 2012 London Olympic Games opening ceremony was jam packed with stars like Paul McCartney, David Beckham, Kenneth Branaugh and Daniel Craig’s James Bond was led out by Queen Elizabeth II.

Who knew that Queen Elizabeth II could have a sense of fun, but she showed everyone at the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony when she parachuted in (at least her stunt double did that hard part!) with James Bond (Daniel Craig’s stunt double also for the live shot)! But that was indeed Queen Elizabeth sitting in her quarters, welcoming James Bond and accepting his invitation to the Olympics in Danny Boyle’s three-minute film. It’s believed that this was the very first movie she’s ever appeared in. Boyle and his crew were given unprecedented access to her quarters for a one-day shoot this past April.

This was the big surprise that we reported on back in June, but when once the video of a car driving up to Buckingham Palace appeared, everyone knew James Bond was going to be making an actual appearance.

So here’s how it went down…Daniel Craig as James Bond got out of the car and walked in — only to be led to the room of Queen Elizabeth II. “Good evening, Mr. Bond,” she said. “Good evening, your majesty,” he responded.

They then took off in a helicopter that flew over London as people on the ground – and even a statue of Winston Churchill – waved. The video then seemingly showed the Queen jumping out with a Union Jack parachute to the Bond theme. We knew Boyle would pull out all the stops for this one, and the producers of Skyfall are very very happy with the results.

James Bond wasn’t the only character from the world of film and literature to make an appearance at the Opening Ceremony. Mary Poppins, Lord Voldemort and Mr. Bean were all featured prominently in Danny Boyle’s abstract salute to England. It’s quite a site of his film, and it felt very British as it should!

Below is the full 2012 London Games Schedule broken down by events so you can easily know when your favorite event will be on.