Kathleen Kennedy will lead production of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, organisers said on Wednesday. The veteran Hollywood producer was named head of ceremonies and content for LA28, replacing Peter Rice, who recently took a job at Netflix and stays on as an executive producer.
Kennedy will oversee all four ceremonies: the Olympic opening on July 14, 2028 and the closing on July 30, followed by the Paralympic opening on August 15 and the closing on August 27. The ceremonies will take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium.
Kennedy stepped down as president of Lucasfilm in January, after a run that began in 2012 when founder George Lucas chose her to lead the studio as he sold it to Disney. She co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall, whom she later married, and helped produce films including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List.
LA28 chairperson and president Casey Wasserman called Kennedy a legend and one of Hollywood’s all-time greats. Kennedy said the Olympics had been a touchstone in her life, and that she and Marshall have attended nearly every Games since Los Angeles hosted in 1984.
Creative director Ben Winston and executive producer of production Scott Givens are among the producers working alongside her on the ceremonies team.
Source: Reuters
