While construction on Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park is now confirmed and well known about, there is another interesting secret project that is quietly coming to light. While we’ve all see the initial concept art showing off the four lands connected to a central plaza with a hotel at the back end… would you believe that there is supposedly a second hotel being planned?
Perhaps “hotel” may be a bit inappropriate a word to describe it, because if built this will most definitely fall into a new category… something I’ve chosen to label as “Ultra Themed Resorts”. So what exactly is an Ultra Themed Resort? The world will soon find out when the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opens in 2021, allowing guests to enter a resort with 100% immersion into a living and breathing fictional universe for the duration of their stay.
Disney is banking on the Star Wars theme to carry this concept forward for them, but I’m told that Universal is already planning their own version of the concept… one that will be themed entirely to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And if it comes to be, it should be located somewhere within the nearby realm of Universal’s Epic Universe theme park.
I wouldn’t expect this to be open at the same time as the new park however, as Universal is likely to keep a careful eye on how things work out for Disney’s Star Wars concept before giving the final green light to go ahead with their own Harry Potter themed concept, but then again Comcast may feel so strongly about the concept that they could opt to just go all in right away. Either way, it should be very interesting to see how this plays out, as while Disney can keep their guests indoors and away from the real world through the story-concept that guests are aboard an interstellar cruise ship, I’m not sure a similar plot device is available here with the Potter IP, though perhaps one may not be needed, depending on the kind of experience being planned. After all the Wizarding World co-exists alongside the real world for those lucky enough to be able to travel between the two. After all, isn’t that the dream for all those Muggles who aspire to to visit the Wizarding World and maybe learn a little magic along the way?