On the heels of Universal announcing that their Jaws ride is closing at Universal Orlando to make way for a new (possibly Potter) attraction, a new rumor is circulating amongst theme park staff.

Wizarding World construction walls – to begin work on the anticipated expansion – may go up as early as February.

Screamscape reports:

While the overall theme of every rumor regarding Phase 2 of the Wizarding World is that it’s a sure thing… the one factor up in the air was the ‘when’. When will the construction start? According to new rumors starting to flow through the park staff, construction walls could go up for the first phases as early as February 2012.

With the various news sources all aflutter about the reports of a Hollywood version of the Wizarding World being finalized over the next week or two, it would only make sense to get those same people at Warner Brothers to sign off on Phase 2 of the Orlando attraction at the same time, don’t you think?

Rumors earlier today suggested that a train (presumably the Hogwarts Express) will be built to connect the new Harry Potter expansion at Jaws’ current land to the existing park. Jaws is set to close in January, so the timing seems right for the expansion to start just a month later.

As theme park fans ourselves, we’ll be all over this story in the coming months and years.