Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony: Start Time and Schedule of the Event

Jul 27, 2012 01:32 PM EDT

Over a billion people are expected to tune in to the 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony taking place today in London. 

The highly anticipated inaugurations will not be highlighted by athletic performances but by the creative minds of some of Britain's most gifted directors and producers.

The show is set to begin at 9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET. Do not worry Americans the entire presentation will be replayed by NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 CT and 4:30 PT). 

James Bond has been rumored to making an appearance to kick off the event, while herds of animals will also be a part of the show. Closing out the big night will be the legend Paul McCartney. 

The ceremony will be directed by the renowned British filmmaker, Danny Boyle and Stephen Daldry. The theme the event will be based around the "Isles of Wonder," inspired by the Shakespearean play, "The Tempest."

The British creators will have to compete with the 2008 Beijing's Opening Ceremony, which was considered one of the most amazing introductions to the Olympic Games. 

To do this, the stage of the event is said to be equal to the size of 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools. That is approximately 15,000 square meters.

Helping Bole and Daldry will be four producers Stephen Daldry (Creative Executive Producer), Mark Fisher (Production Design), Hamish Hamilton (Broadcast) and Catherine Ugwu. Combined they have won Grammys and produced shows for artists like the Rolling Stones and Jennifer Lopez. 

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