Danny Boyle Turns Down British Knighthood: “It's Just Not Me”

"Trainspotting" director chooses to decline the honorary title for his work masterminding last summer's Olympic opening ceremony.

Danny Boyle will remain a man of the people.

The British director of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "127 Hours" turned down a knighthood for his role staging the spectacular opening ceremonies at the 2012 London Olympics, he revealed in an interview.

The reason is simple: He says his work as the production's artistic director couldn't have succeeded without the assistance of literally thousands of people, including the stunt performer who jumped out of a helicopter dressed as Queen Elizabeth.

"It's just not me," the 56-year-old Boyle told the U.K.'s Radio Times (via The Huffington Post) "I also thought it was wrong, actually."

Five jaw-droppers from the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony

He continued: "You can make these speeches about 'this is everybody's work, blah blah blah.' And you've got to mean it, and I did mean it, and it is true, and it's the only way you can carry on something like that: through the efforts of all the people. I don't know whether I'll ever get invited back to the Palace."

When he's not politely begging off one of his country's highest honors and joining the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and fellow helmer Steven Spielberg among others, the Oscar-winning filmmaker meanwhile is looking at revisiting one of his early cinematic classics, 1996's "Trainspotting."

Boyle told the program he and longtime screenwriter John Hodge are working on a first draft adapted from Porno, novelist Irvine Welsh's sequel to Trainspotting that follows the hapless characters 20 years later.

Here are some more pics from the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony

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