After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a strict no-spectator rule in place barring the normal fervor and sense of global community these games are typically associated with, this year’s events in Paris proved a much-needed salve for a world otherwise gripped by multiple wars and conflicts that continue to pull us apart. In serving as hosts to the five continents who participate in the Olympics every four years, the French people showed us that there are things worth coming together for, worth cheering for, and worth celebrating with all our might and sense of showmanship. But at the same time, from an American perspective and from the perspective of all those who are chronically online, one couldn’t help but notice the celebrity presence throughout these games, whether it was Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav cheering on athletes at multiple competitions or Tom Cruise and David Zaslav trying to keep a low profile in their luxury boxes.
Even Steven Spielberg and Beyoncé got involved in the festivities by recording videos promoting the games and hyping up Team USA. Then to top it all off, during this weekend’s closing ceremony, Los Angeles pulled off one of the most Hollywood endings of all time with Cruise rappelling into Stad de France , collecting the Olympic flag, and personally transporting it across the world via pre-recorded segment. If these appearances say anything, it’s that the City of Angels is ready to put on a show and with four years to develop and produce this masterpiece, one can only imagine the ideas being cooked up.
In fact, that’s exactly what we here at IndieWire decided to do. In honor of the upcoming LA 2028 Olympics, we’ve put together our wishlist for how Los Angeles can top Paris and craft an event worthy of an Oscars sweep. Keep reading below to find out our pitches, starting with.
.. Production is struggling in Los Angeles and while there are efforts to revive it underway within the city government, one can’t help but wonder if Hollywood can still call itself the entertainment capital of the world.
Perhaps the only reason it can is for how many studio lots exist within the city’s limits and the generations of prestige they hold for artists and fans alike. For many tourists, no trip to Los Angeles is complete without a tour of Paramount or Warner Brothers, so what better way to showcase one of our city’s mass appeals by holding competitions there, either on stages or outdoor sets. Obviously not every sport would be suited to these environments, but certainly events like fencing, boxing, even table-tennis would be elevated by staging them like scenes in a high-stakes drama, with dramatic lighting and a crowd close by.
Even just having the image of the lot as background to whatever match is being held would add a proper dose of Hollywood glamor to LA’s games, but moreover, it feeds into our next point, which is— At the center of Paris’ presentation of this summer’s Olympics was a blend of artistry, culture, history, and pomp that stayed true to the city’s sense of romance and France’s overall joie de vivre. It would simply not make sense for Los Angeles to repeat this, but to instead tap into it’s own sense of identity. On the one hand, this is slightly hard to do, as L.
A. is a cultural melting pot that represents many of the nations participating in the Olympics, so trying to define it as one thing ends up offending someone who sees it as another. In truth, the best way to think about how L.
A. should be showcased in 2028 is to think about how others around the world see it..
. a land of dreams. If someone on the LA Olympics committee isn’t already working on which freeway to shut down so they can pull off a “La La Land” musical number during the opening ceremony, what are we even doing here? Seriously, the LA Olympics should have no cap — no idea too big or too small.
Using the donut on top of Randy’s Donuts as an archery target? Fuck yeah. Adding a “Star Wars” lightsaber event to be paired with fencing? Why not? Hell, they can even bring back breakdancing so long as they stage it at the Hollywood Bowl. The key here is do what Los Angeles does best and go for broke.
Sure, Los Angeles knows a thing or two about going over-budget, but for the 2028 Olympics, the city and filmmakers alike would be foolish not to see the advantage of using the mise en scène of this humongous spectacle for more than just narratives surrounding feats of athleticism. Think of what M. Night Shyamalan recently did with his concert thriller “Trap” and imagine if something comparable were done while the Olympics were taking place.
Pretty intriguing, no? What better way to put Hollywood’s imprint on the Olympics than to shoot an actual movie using the games as backdrop? Even if a whole movie couldn’t be shot and it was just a sequence, imagine what Tom Cruise would do if he got to stage a stunt for his next inevitable Mission: Impossible film during the soccer finals or while Simone Biles is flipping across a mat. We already got a small taste on Sunday with his closing ceremony feat. If the Oscars can scrounge up 20 or so celebrities to shell out statues every year, than the Olympics can certainly manage a few for medal ceremonies.
And while typically medals are awarded by a member of the International Olympics Committee, there’s no reason Will Ferrell or Sydney Sweeney can’t be standing by to assist. The athletes would no doubt get a kick out of it and it adds a new flavor to what has become a rather formulaic ceremony. If not as medal presenters, then perhaps the city’s talent pool could be utilized for broadcast purposes, allowing viewers to tune into a perspective different than that of standards sports commentators.
Sports are no joke. Athletes who participate in the Olympics train their whole lives to get there. Some end up with triumph, others, devastation.
Not only that, but the purpose behind the Olympics, to bring together nations and unite our world for a brief time every few years, is a noble mission that shouldn’t be diminished. This all being said, if you’re going to set 2028’s games in Los Angeles, a city where taking things seriously is considered a faux pas, it would be a shame to not capitalize on the chance to have a little fun. Certain efforts were made for this summer’s games to be a little more playful, for instance, having SNL head writer Colin Jost cover surfing, a sport he knows nothing about, only to have him have to drop out after sustaining a foot injury.
Jost’s mishap, while unintentionally funny, is a good place to start in terms of adding a little fun around the otherwise serious affairs. Other ideas could be getting Meryl Streep to do a pre-recorded segment with Katie Ledecky where she wants to go method for a biopic about the swimmer and do the 1500m in her place, having comedians like Nick Kroll and John Mulaney provide their own sports commentary separate from real commentators, or maybe even pairing up celebrities for unofficial matches in different sports against real athletes. Again, if Los Angeles really wants to put Paris to shame, it’ll pull out all the stops.
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