Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy tapped to bring Hollywood magic to LA Olympics

The Summer Olympics are two years away from hitting the streets of Los Angeles, and the event’s committee announced that legendary film producer Kathleen Kennedy will oversee the opening and closing ceremonies of content.Kennedy, who is a Hollywood veteran, will be replacing Peter Rice, who recently joined Netflix as its new chief content officer.Kennedy will be tasked with creating a team of producers that will design the look and content of the two ceremonies when the Olympics begin on July 14, 2028.Rice is still expected to serve as an executive producer for the ceremonies.The dual events are set to take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Kennedy will also lead a team that will design the closing ceremony and both ceremonies for the Paralympics, which will take place the following month.Kennedy, who is a native of Berkeley and earned her bachelor’s degree in communications and film at San Diego State University, has left her fingerprints all over Hollywood, as she was a president at Lucasfilm from 2012-2026, where she helped work on Star Wars films and TV shows like “The Mandalorian,” “Rogue One,” and “The Last Jedi.”Aside from the success with Lucasfilm, Kennedy is also known for her role as an executive producer on “Jurassic Park III,” released in 2001.Kennedy has yet to win an Academy Award but has been nominated eight times in her career, for films like “Seabiscuit,” “The Color Purple,” “Munich,” and “E.T.the Extra-Terrestrial.”“This appointment reinforces LA28’s commitment to harness the unparalleled creativity, cultural influence and storytelling power of the entertainment capital of the world,” Olympic organizers said in an announcement.

“Ceremonies that are distinctly Los Angeles and leave a lasting impression on the global stage.”The Olympics Chairperson and President of LA28, Casey Wasserman, called Kennedy a legend and said, she is “one of Hollyw...