The Wall Street Journal has just revealed that Universal will soon announce that their Hollywood resort will play home to the second Harry Potter theme park!
UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times reports that a contract is to be signed within the next few weeks and the park is likely to open no earlier than 2015.
UPDATE 2: A Los Angeles Times writer says – very surprisingly in our opinion – that Disneyland was in talks to get the Los Angeles park, but those talks fell through following Universal’s strong success in Orlando.
NBCUniversal is planning to expand its Los Angeles theme park with a section devoted to the “Harry Potter” franchise, according to people familiar with the matter, hoping to repeat the success of a similar attraction at NBCU’s Orlando, Fla., resort.
The new “Harry Potter” addition in the Los Angeles park, Universal Studios Hollywood, will likely resemble the one in Florida, these people say, which includes a Hogwarts Castle, roller coasters, and several Potter-themed restaurants including the Hog’s Head tavern, which serves butterbeer, as in the books.
If the new section succeeds, more “Potter” attractions could open in other parts of the world where Universal has theme parks, including Japan, Singapore, and Spain, say people close to Universal.
We’re very excited to hear Universal’s announcement, and even more excited to see where exactly they’re going to put it. Universal Hollywood currently lacks much room to expand, so it’s going to be a tight squeeze unless they build outside the current confines. A quick check of Google Maps reveals what we’re talking about:
Potter crew members have recently hinted at plans in the works for a second Potter park, and now those murmurs are finally starting to make sense.