Kathleen Kennedy, former president of Lucasfilm, will replace Peter Rice as the head of ceremonies and content for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, TheWrap has learned.
The appointment comes a little over a week after Rice was named Netflix’s chief content officer, replacing Bela Bajaria. Many wondered how the executive would be able to juggle the new role overseeing scripted and unscripted content at the streamer and still lead LA28 operations.
Kennedy will serve as the executive producer for the games, specifically tasked with shaping the opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympic and Paralympic games.
“Kathleen is a legend. She is one of Hollywood’s all-time greats, with a rare gift for storytelling,” LA28 President and Chairperson Casey Wasserman said in a statement. “When the stars align to focus the world’s attention on Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I can’t think of anyone better to conjure the magic of Hollywood than Kathleen.”
“The Olympics have been a touchstone in my life. My husband, Frank Marshall, and I have attended virtually every games since Los Angeles in 1984, and sport remains one of the great unifying experiences we share,” Kennedy said. “Peter Rice has laid a terrific foundation, and I can’t wait to get to work with Ben Winston, our creative director, and the whole LA28 team.”
“These games are rooted in Los Angeles, but with events from Oklahoma City to LA28’s six incredible soccer/football cities, all of America gets to host the world’s finest athletes, and I’m honored to help celebrate every Olympian and Paralympian who come to compete,” she added.
Kennedy joins executive producer and creative director Ben Winston and executive producer of production Scott Givens, who has previously served as an Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies producer. FulFive, a joint venture from Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents, will produce the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.
Kennedy is one of the most accomplished film producers in Hollywood. She has over 100 film credits to her name. The producer has received eight Best Picture nominations, five of which for Stephen Spielberg projects including “E.T,” “The Color Purple,” “War Horse,” “Lincoln” and “Munich.” Her three other Academy Award Best Picture noms were for “The Sixth Sense,” “Seabiscuit” and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
The executive stepped down as president of Lucasfilm in January. During her 14 years at the production company, she played a key role in the “Star Wars” franchise, overseeing “The Force Awakens” trilogy and streaming series “The Mandalorian” and “Andor.”
The LA28 board saw some shakeups after the Epstein Files revealed ties between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell. Wasserman left his agency, which has since been renamed, but the LA28 Olympics organizers stood behind the chairman.
Mellody Hobson, wife of George Lucas and co-founder of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, stepped down from the L.A. Olympics board in September, citing the demands and responsibilities to the Lucas Museum as the reason for her departure.
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