Kathleen Kennedy replaces Peter Rice as LA28 head of ceremonies and content

Left · 2LA28 announced on 28 October 2026 that Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy will replace Peter Rice as head of ceremonies and content for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. 1 2 Left · 2The change follows Netflix's hiring of Rice as chief content officer, replacing Bela Bajaria; The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, said insiders had questioned how he could do that job while also leading the ceremonies. 1 2 Left · 2Rice is not leaving entirely: according to The Hollywood Reporter, LA28 said he will stay on as an executive producer. 1 2

Centre · 1Deadline, which says it revealed on 15 October that Rice would do double duty, reported that he officially started at Netflix two days before the announcement and will be an executive producer on the opening and closing ceremonies. 3 Left · 1Kennedy is expected to work from early development through to execution alongside executive producer and creative director Ben Winston and Scott Givens, executive producer of production. The ceremonies are being supported by FulFive, a new entity formed by Fulwell Entertainment and FiveCurrents. 1 Left · 2The Olympic opening ceremony is set for 14 July 2028 and the closing for 30 July; the Paralympic opening is on 15 August and the closing on 27 August 2028. 1 2

Centre · 1Deadline places the Games' 14 July 2028 start at SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and notes the Games and Wasserman have come under increasing scrutiny over costs and other matters. 3 Left · 2LA28 chairperson and president Casey Wasserman called Kennedy "a legend" and "one of Hollywood’s all-time greats", saying he could think of no one better "to conjure the magic of Hollywood". 1 2 Left · 2Kennedy called the Olympics "a touchstone in my life", said she and her husband Frank Marshall have attended virtually every Games since Los Angeles 1984, and said Rice "has laid a terrific foundation". 1 2

Left · 2Kennedy left Lucasfilm after 14 years leading it. Variety dates her departure to the end of 2025, while The Hollywood Reporter says it was earlier in 2026. She remains tied to the company as a producer of "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and the upcoming "Star Wars: Starfighter" with Ryan Gosling. 2 1 Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter added that Wasserman had called Rice his number one pick when he took the role in 2025, and that LA28 also unveiled a new slogan, "Stars Align". 1