Former Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy is LA28’s new head of ceremonies and content, replacing Peter Rice, who just became Netflix’s chief content officer.
Kathleen Kennedy spent more than a decade running a galaxy far, far away. Her next job is a lot closer to home, and the audience might be even bigger.
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games named Kennedy its head of ceremonies and content on Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which had the news first. She’ll help shape the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
She replaces Peter Rice, the former Walt Disney Television chairman who was just hired as Netflix’s chief content officer. Rice isn’t leaving the Olympics entirely, though, and we’ll get to that.
What will Kathleen Kennedy do for the LA28 Olympics?
The Hollywood Reporter describes the job as an executive producer role over the opening and closing ceremonies. Kennedy will work with Ben Winston, the ceremonies’ executive producer and creative director, and Scott Givens, executive producer of production.
Production support comes from FulFive, a new company formed by Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents, per Deadline and THR. In other words, she’s walking into a team that’s already building.
LA28 chair Casey Wasserman didn’t hold back on the praise. “Kathleen is a legend. She is one of Hollywood’s all-time greats, with a rare gift for storytelling,” he said in a statement quoted by both outlets.
What did Kathleen Kennedy say about the Olympics job?
Kennedy said the Games have been part of her life for a long time. “The Olympics have been a touchstone in my life,” she said, as quoted by Deadline and THR.
She added, per THR, that she and her husband, producer Frank Marshall, “have attended virtually every games since Los Angeles in 1984.” Marshall has his own Olympic ties, too, after more than a decade on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s executive committee, according to THR.
She also gave her predecessor a nod. “Peter Rice has laid a terrific foundation, and I can’t wait to get to work with Ben Winston, our creative director,” Kennedy said in THR’s report.
Why did Peter Rice leave the LA28 ceremonies job?
Netflix happened. The streamer named Rice its chief content officer on Oct. 15, effective Oct. 26, replacing Bela Bajaria. He now oversees scripted and unscripted series, film and live events worldwide, per Netflix.
Rice isn’t cutting ties, though. Deadline and THR both report he’ll stay on as an executive producer of the opening and closing ceremonies while he works at Netflix.
Disney fans know Rice’s name. Before Netflix, he was chairman of Walt Disney Television and chairman of General Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company. So both the old boss and the new boss of LA28’s ceremonies have Disney roots.
When did Kathleen Kennedy leave Lucasfilm?
Kennedy stepped down as Lucasfilm president in January 2026. She’d led the studio for about 14 years, starting in 2012, the year Disney bought Lucasfilm.
Dave Filoni took over as president and chief creative officer, with Lynwen Brennan as co-president, according to Graphic Policy’s report at the time. Kennedy went back to producing films after that.
Her Star Wars run was a big one. It included Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Mandalorian and Andor, plus a lot of debate in fan circles that hasn’t exactly quieted down.
What else has Kathleen Kennedy produced?
Plenty, and long before Star Wars. Kennedy co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Marshall.
THR’s list of her producing credits reads like a family movie night shelf: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones films, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, The Sixth Sense and Lincoln. Her films have earned 120 Oscar nominations and 25 wins, per THR.
There’s even an Olympic credit in there. She produced Olympic Glory, a short documentary about the 1998 Nagano Games, according to THR.
When are the LA28 opening and closing ceremonies?
The Olympic opening ceremony is set for July 14, 2028, and the closing ceremony for July 30, 2028. The Paralympic opening ceremony follows Aug. 15, with the Paralympic closing on Aug. 27 at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
The ceremonies will use the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium, which goes by 2028 Stadium during the Games, per THR. NBCUniversal holds the U.S. broadcast rights, so you’ll be watching on NBC and Peacock, not ABC.
That gives Kennedy less than two years to pull off a show for a global audience. After juggling Jedi, dinosaurs and a lovable alien, she’s had some practice with big crowds.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
The Hollywood Reporter (Oct. 28), first report, title, quotes, career credits and ceremony dates
Deadline (Oct. 28), Wasserman and Kennedy quotes and Rice’s continuing role
Netflix (Oct. 15), Rice hire and Disney background
Variety (Oct. 28), confirmation of the appointment
Graphic Policy (Jan. 15), Kennedy’s Lucasfilm exit and successors
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