Hot on the Heels of Harry Potter: Universal may be Planning Lord of the Rings Theme Park

Aug. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- This summer saw the opening of Universal's latest addition to its theme park empire, 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter', which is proving a great success so far, attracting hordes of dedicated Potter fans. Here fans can live out the movies as they make their way down through the corridors of Hogwarts, stroll the alleys and shops that Harry Potter finds himself in.

For fans it's been a magical experience, for the parents of Potter fanatics it's been a very expensive one, in short a very worth while addition to the Universal theme parks. Now there are rumours circulating that Universal may be considering yet another addition to their gaggle of theme parks flowing through Florida.

Having successfully dipped in to fantasy, attaching to a lucrative franchise with Harry Potter, Universal may be planning to repeat their trick, this time with the JRR Tolkien's equally revered Lord of the Rings series.

Perhaps in the not so distant future the park's visitors will be able to arrive fresh from rubbing shoulders with wizards, riding hippogriffs and buying wands, to be able to walk among the hobbits and elves of middle earth.

Though no official announcement has been made from Universal regarding this potential endeavour, internet forums have been flooded with post suggesting this exciting new possibility.

Over at the MiceChat forums, a website concerned with Florida theme parks , one user “giggling_gargoyles” suggests that Universal have sent out a 'not so subtle' email hoping to assess the interest for a Lord of the Rings theme park. The email inquires about potential rides, merchandise, characters from the series that potential customers would wish to see included. The email was also keen to see if the demographic were otherwise interested in franchises such as Star Trek, Indiana Jones or Harry Potter.

The post on MiceChat quotes the following from the Universal email:

Imagine if you will a world unlike any you've ever visited before: it's Middle Earth, the ancient and beautiful land forged by J.R.R. Tolkien as the backdrop for his two most well known creations, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Walk as a human among dwarves, elves, orcs and hobbits -- all faithfully recreated and portrayed in the spirit of the original characters as they appeared in both the books and the movies. In this land you'll experience one-of-a-kind rides and attractions that bring to life some of the most memorable experiences of Tolkien's world including Bilbo's hobbit hole, the fortress at Isengard (before it was destroyed) and even the dark world of Mordor -- including the terrifying volcanic Mount Doom.

While the future of the potential Lord of the Rings theme park remains largely speculative, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, has been such a huge success that it may encourage a chance on another successful fantasy franchise.

The Harry Potter theme park has proven a very worthwhile pursuit for Universal, a firm addition to the list of destinations for those in their Orlando vacation rentals seeking rides and theme park thrills.

Meanwhile as the Hobbit film remains imminent, now with Peter Jackson set to replace Guillermo Del Toro. With this strengthening the LOTR brand even further perhaps Universal can latch on to that hype and strike gold once more.


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