14 Years at Lucasfilm End as Kathleen Kennedy Takes Helm of LA28 Ceremonies
The former producer will oversee four events in 2028, replacing Peter Rice who moved to Netflix.
By Anthony Shevchenko ·
Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a period of global attention that Casey Wasserman says requires a specific kind of creative leadership. The LA28 organizing committee appointed Kathleen Kennedy as head of ceremonies and content, replacing Peter Rice.
Kennedy, who served as president of Lucasfilm for 14 years, will lead the delivery of all four major events. Her schedule includes the Olympic opening on July 14, 2028, and the closing on July 30. She will also manage the Paralympic opening on August 15 and the closing on August 27.
Rice departed the role after being hired as Netflix’s chief content officer earlier this week. He succeeded Bela Bajaria at the streaming company and will remain involved with the LA28 Games as an executive producer. The Hollywood Reporter first reported his transition.
Wasserman, the chairperson and president of LA28, described Kennedy as a legend and one of Hollywood’s all-time greats. He stated that when the world focuses on Los Angeles for the 2028 Games, he could not think of a better person to conjure the magic of Hollywood.
Kennedy described the Olympics as a touchstone in her life. She noted that she and her husband, Frank Marshall, have attended virtually every games since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She expressed excitement about working with Ben Winston, the creative director, and the broader LA28 team.
Kennedy left Lucasfilm at the end of 2025 but maintains a relationship with the studio. Her recent credits include The Mandalorian and Grogu, which released last summer, and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter. The latter film is led by Ryan Gosling.
Her tenure at Lucasfilm included both critical successes and commercial challenges. She worked closely with Steven Spielberg on films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, and Lincoln. She also helped select J.J. Abrams to direct 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a film that grossed more than $2 billion globally.
