Kathleen Kennedy Replaces Peter Rice as Head of Ceremonies and Content for L.A.’s Olympic Games (Exclusive)

When news broke that Netflix had tapped Peter Rice to replace Bela Bajaria as chief content officer charged with overseeing scripted and unscripted series, film, live events and more in all territories across the globe, it didn’t take long for insiders to wonder how he could lead such a massive portfolio while continuing on with a role as head of ceremonies for the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles. Question no more: Hollywood veteran Kathleen Kennedy has been tapped to replace Rice as head of ceremonies and content for LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The executive producer role will find the iconic producer helping shape the opening and closing ceremonies for back-to-back games in four separate events that will be viewed by an audience of billions across the globe. LA28 confirmed the appointment today, and revealed that Rice won’t be bowing out completely as he will stay on as executive producer. Kennedy is expected to dive straight in and work from early development toward production and execution alongside a team that includes executive producer and creative director Ben Winston, and veteran Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies producer Scott Givens who serves as executive producer of production. The production of the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies is being supported by FulFive, a new entity composed of Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents. Kennedy is among the most accomplished and successful producers in Hollywood with more than 100 credits on her resumé dating back to the early 1980s. She’s an Oscar winner whose films snagged 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins, and she’s steered special effects-heavy blockbusters in the Star Wars universe to character studies and comedies, and dozens of projects alongside her husband Frank Marshall at their Kennedy/Marshall Company. She recently became something of a free agent after departing her post at Lucasfilm earlier in 2026 after 14 years at the helm leading one of the biggest American film franchises. LA28 chairperson and president Casey Wasserman had plenty of praise for his new head of ceremonies. “Kathleen is a legend. She is one of Hollywood’s all-time greats, with a rare gift for storytelling,” said Wasserman. “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 logo idents for the LA28 Olympic Games. Courtesy of LA28 In response, she credited Wasserman for having a “bold vision” for what the games “can mean for Los Angeles and the world.” And she’s thrilled to play a part in the Olympics, which have been a big part of her life for decades. “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.” It’s also worth noting that Kennedy produced a short documentary titled Olympic Glory that covered the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, which was directed by Kieth Merrill. And when she mentioned that the games had been a touchstone for her in her life, they’ve also been very important to the household: Husband Frank Marshall was presented with an Olympic Shield in 2005 in honor of his contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movements for serving on the executive committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee for more than a decade. It’s not a surprise that Rice was replaced by another Hollywood heavyweight. Not long after he stepped into the role in 2025, Wasserman detailed the expectation of having the Olympics in this particular location. “When you think about what we expect of ourselves and what the world is going to expect of us, clearly we’re the creative capital of the world and Hollywood is a big piece of that, but we better knock people’s socks off,” Wasserman told The Hollywood Reporter at the time, adding that Rice was his No. 1 “overall” pick among candidates. “Peter is the one we started with, and we didn’t have to engage in meaningful conversations with anyone else.” As for Kennedy, who is coming off the release of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu with the anticipated Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling on the horizon for 2027, she recently appeared on stage at Bloomberg’s annual Screentime event in Los Angeles. She offered some comments on her tenure at Lucasfilm that apply to her new LA28 role. “I think that that’s the challenge that all franchises [face], certainly something that’s been around now for 50 years. You’ve got people where this means a lot to them,” she said. “But at the same time, the challenge is to try to create something new, something original.” Kennedy’s work will be on display when L.A.’s Olympic Games kick off with an opening ceremony on July 14, 2028, and wrap up on July 30, 2028, hosted at venues including Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and 2028 Stadium (aka SoFi Stadium). The Paralympic opening ceremony is set for Aug. 15, 2028, with the closing to take place at the Coliseum on Aug. 27, 2028. Kennedy, whose long list of credits includes work with filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeckis, J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson and Shawn Levy, has produced E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones franchise, Back to the Future, The Color Purple, Arachnophobia, Hook, Jurassic Park, Congo, Twister, The Sixth Sense, A Map of the World, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, War Horse, Lincoln, Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Andor and many more. In other LA28 news revealed Wednesday, there’s a new official slogan: “Stars Align.” It’s designed as “both a rallying cry and an invitation for athletes to compete on the world’s biggest stage” per the organization, and it sits alongside the official Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together” and the Paralympic motto of “Change Starts with Sport.” Previous slogans of the games include “A New World” for Rio 2016, “United by Emotion” for Tokyo 2020, and “Games Wide Open” for Paris 2024. “Los Angeles is the place where dreams take flight, and the Olympics show us what’s possible when the world unites. ‘Stars Align’ is a call to action, whether you’re an athlete at the peak of your skill, a volunteer welcoming the world to these Games, or a fan cheering passionately from the stands,” said Wasserman of the slogan, which also debuted in short promo that features the hit “Can’t Stop” by home-grown superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers. “The greatest moments in sport don’t just happen. Athletes work their whole lives for them. In 2028, hard work meets the city of dreams. That’s what ‘Stars Align’ is about,” explained LA28 chief marketing officer Alex Merchán. Courtesy of LA28