Kathleen Kennedy Takes Over Ceremonies and Content for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy has been named head of ceremonies and content for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organizers confirmed on Wednesday. She takes over from Peter Rice, who held the post until now.

The change follows Netflix's decision to name Rice its new chief content officer, succeeding Bela Bajaria. That job covers scripted and unscripted series, film, live events and more in every territory worldwide, and insiders had questioned how he could manage it alongside his Olympic duties. Rice will not leave LA28 entirely, as he will remain on as an executive producer.

In her executive producer role, Kennedy will help shape the opening and closing ceremonies for back-to-back Games, spread across four separate events expected to reach an audience of billions. She is expected to start immediately, working from early development through to production and execution. Her team includes executive producer and creative director Ben Winston and Scott Givens, a veteran Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies producer who serves as executive producer of production. The ceremonies are being supported by FulFive, a new entity made up of Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents.

Kennedy has more than 100 credits dating back to the early 1980s. Her films have earned 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Her work ranges from Star Wars blockbusters to character studies and comedies, including dozens of projects with her husband, Frank Marshall, at their Kennedy/Marshall Company. She left her post at Lucasfilm earlier in 2026 after 14 years leading the franchise.

LA28 chairperson and president Casey Wasserman praised the choice. "Kathleen is a legend. She is one of Hollywood's all-time greats, with a rare gift for storytelling," he said, adding that he could not think of anyone better to "conjure the magic of Hollywood" for the Games.

Kennedy said the Olympics have been "a touchstone" in her life, noting that she and Marshall have attended virtually every Games since Los Angeles in 1984. She said Rice had "laid a terrific foundation" and that she looks forward to working with Winston and the wider team. She also pointed out that events will reach from Oklahoma City to LA28's six soccer cities, so that "all of America gets to host the world's finest athletes." She previously produced Olympic Glory, a short documentary on the 1998 Nagano Games directed by Kieth Merrill, and Marshall received an Olympic Shield in 2005 for more than a decade on the U.S. Olympic Committee's executive committee.

The pick fits expectations Wasserman set when Rice took the job in 2025. He told The Hollywood Reporter then that Los Angeles is "the creative capital of the world" and that organizers "better knock people's socks off." Speaking recently at Bloomberg's Screentime event in Los Angeles about her Lucasfilm tenure, Kennedy said the challenge with a long-running franchise is to "create something new, something original."

The Olympic Games open on July 14, 2028, and close on July 30, 2028, with venues including Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and 2028 Stadium, also known as SoFi Stadium. The Paralympic opening ceremony is set for Aug. 15, 2028, and the closing will take place at the Coliseum on Aug. 27, 2028.

Organizers also revealed a new official slogan on Wednesday: "Stars Align." They describe it as both a rallying cry and an invitation for athletes to compete on the world's biggest stage. Wasserman called it "a call to action" for athletes, volunteers and fans alike. The slogan debuted in a short promo featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Can't Stop."