Damon Albarn to direct London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony?

Damon Albarn is reportedly one of the candidates to be the artistic director of the London Olympics opening ceremony in 2012.

The London-based Blur and Gorillaz man has already had preliminary discussions with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog), reports the Independent.

An appointment is expected to be made in the new year, although Albarn is not the only person up for the job. Film director Stephen Daldry has also reportedly been consulted.

A Locog spokesperson wouldn't be drawn on the possibility of the musician's appointment, saying, "It is complete speculation and we are still months away from making appointments."

Whoever ends up landing the job, the ceremony in the UK capital is unlikely to boast the resources used for Beijing’s spectacular celebrations last year. "I doubt we will have 20,000 people doing things in unison in our opening ceremony," Paul Deighton, chief executive of Locog said. "That's just fine. That's the beauty of contrast."

Albarn and his Gorillaz partner, artist Jamie Hewlett, created the opening TV sequence for the BBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Watch it by clicking below.