Los Angeles: Hollywood veteran Kathleen Kennedy has been tapped to replace Peter Rice as head of ceremonies and content for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, LA28 confirmed. The executive producer role will see the iconic producer help shape the opening and closing ceremonies for back-to-back Games in four separate events viewed by an audience of billions across the globe.
The move follows Netflix’s decision to appoint Rice as chief content officer, overseeing scripted and unscripted series, film and live events across all territories — a portfolio that raised immediate questions about whether he could continue leading ceremonies for the 2028 Games.
Rice Stays On
Rice won’t be bowing out completely: he will remain as executive producer. Kennedy is expected to dive straight in, working 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 as executive producer of production. The ceremonies are being supported by FulFive, a new entity composed of Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents.
‘Kathleen Is a Legend’
“Kathleen is a legend. She is one of Hollywood’s all-time greats, with a rare gift for storytelling,” said LA28 chairperson and president Casey 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.”
Kennedy credited Wasserman with having a “bold vision” for what the Games “can mean for Los Angeles and the world.”
“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,” she 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.”
Kennedy produced a short documentary titled Olympic Glory covering the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, directed by Kieth Merrill. Her husband Frank Marshall was presented with an Olympic Shield in 2005 in honour of his contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movements, having served on the executive committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee for more than a decade.
A Track Record Like Few Others
Kennedy is among the most accomplished producers in Hollywood, with more than 100 credits dating to the early 1980s. She is an Oscar winner whose films have earned 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins, spanning effects-heavy Star Wars blockbusters, character studies, comedies and dozens of projects alongside Marshall at their Kennedy/Marshall Company. She became a free agent after departing Lucasfilm earlier in 2026 following 14 years at the helm.
Wasserman had previously described Rice as his No. 1 “overall” pick when he took the role in 2025. “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,” he told The Hollywood Reporter at the time.
The Ceremony Dates
L.A.’s Olympic Games open on July 14, 2028 and close on July 30, 2028, hosted at venues including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and 2028 Stadium (SoFi Stadium). The Paralympic opening ceremony is set for August 15, 2028, with the closing at the Coliseum on August 27, 2028.
New Slogan: ‘Stars Align’
LA28 also unveiled its official slogan on Wednesday: “Stars Align” — designed as “both a rallying cry and an invitation for athletes to compete on the world’s biggest stage,” per the organisation. It sits alongside the official Olympic motto (“Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”) and the Paralympic motto (“Change Starts with Sport”). Previous slogans include “A New World” (Rio 2016), “United by Emotion” (Tokyo 2020) and “Games Wide Open” (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,” Wasserman said. The slogan debuted in a short promo featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Can’t Stop.”
