Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker Narrates “Land of Stories” to Kick Off NBCUniversal’s Coverage Just Before the Opening Ceremony
Portions of the Film to be used in Promotional Spots across NBCUniversal Platforms and in AMC and IMAX Theatres
Live Coverage of the Opening Ceremony Begins on Friday, July 26, at Noon ET on NBC and Peacock; and 1 pm ET on Telemundo
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 26, 2024 – Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg stars in NBCUniversal’s opening film that will welcome viewers to its presentation of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, France, this summer. The announcement was made earlier today at a press event at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City about NBCU’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
As viewers get set to watch an unprecedented Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26, Spielberg welcomes them to the Games with a four-minute film titled, “Land of Stories” – which showcases the Olympics as the perfect template for telling an epic story. Filmed at a Universal Studios soundstage in November 2023, NBCU worked with artists at Industrial Light & Magic to transport Spielberg to Paris.
“Steven Spielberg is one of the world’s greatest storytellers,” said Molly Solomon, President and Executive Producer, NBC Olympics Production. “For decades we have been moved to experience the full range of human emotions through his fully immersive storytelling style. It was a thrill to see Steven so excited to speak about the magic of the Olympics – from the moments we all remember to the potential of the current athletes. It feels like the perfect prelude to the Paris Games.”
Shorter versions of “Land of Stories” will be used to promote NBCU’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony across its broadcast, cable, streaming, and social media platforms, as well as in AMC and IMAX theatres. A 60-second tease will debut on television during the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks® Spectacular on NBC and Peacock.
NBC and Peacock will present live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26, 2024, beginning at Noon ET. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Primetime coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock.
The plans for the Opening Ceremony are unlike any other. Paris 2024 organizers are turning one of the world’s most famous waterways, the River Seine, into the world’s biggest theatrical stage. Instead of walking into a stadium, a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 100 boats will carry thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries past hundreds of thousands of spectators seated on the banks of the Seine.
It was announced in March that Emmy Award-winning talk show host and Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning will join two-time Sports Emmy Award-winner and NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico to host NBCU’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony. Joining Kelly, Peyton, and Mike from a different vantage point will be TODAY Show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
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In Paris this summer, the world’s greatest athletes will compete against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in the world where the modern Olympic Games were conceived 130 years ago. This will be the third time Paris has hosted the Olympics (1900 and 1924), tying London for the most as a Summer Games host. Los Angeles (1932, 1984) will tie those two cities when it hosts the first Summer Games in the U.S. in 32 years in 2028.
The Paris organizers are reimagining the Games to make them more accessible to the public and to showcase their city to the world. In a first, competitions will be held amidst iconic Parisian landmarks – beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, equestrian at the Palace of Versailles, and urban sports at Place de la Concorde. The surfing competition will take place nearly 10,000 miles from Paris in Tahiti, a part of French Polynesia.
The NBC broadcast network and streaming service Peacock will be the company’s primary platforms for its coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11. Click here for more linear programming information and here for more about the Olympic experience on Peacock. NBC and Peacock will present live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26, beginning at Noon ET. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Primetime coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock.
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2032, which are scheduled for Paris (2024), Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028) and Brisbane (2032). The host city for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games has not yet been chosen.
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