UK Universal IPs revealed?

i don't get the big deal with paddington, can anyone clue me in? is it just a UK thing?

Actually, as a guy who usually only times into the big blockbuster franchise sequels, my family and I LOVE Paddington. The train chase scene in the second movie is peak cinema and it has a surprising amount of set pieces that could be theme-parkable. It's almost definitely more popular in Britain, too.

I'm worried about LOTR, however. When seeing if an IP is "fit" for the theme park format (not factoring popularity), you need to think about what you can ride. Mario? I think of Yoshi, Mariokarts, and maybe DK minecarts. Check, check, and check. Harry potter? Broomsticks, motorbikes, Hogwarts express. Check, check, check. But LOTR? Maybe horses?

Not to mention that thematically, it's very demanding. Like Harry potter, each ride would need to be incredibly well themed and it might only get one ride. LOTR is a very complex franchise

To offer input on the other choices, I find Minions a very "safe" and boring choice, Jurassic world is a bit more tried-and-true classic, Back to the Future is cool but is it worth a whole land, and James Bond I have no strong opinion on.

Keep in mind that Wicked, Shrek, and various Illumination franchises are also being speculated.

@Velocicoaster - There are plenty of mechanisms you can "ride" that would work within the LOTR IP.

1. Horses as you've already noted.
2. Mine carts, which are used by Dwarves in Moria.
3. Eagles
4. Dragons
5. And the always ubiquitous "camera" watching events from a 3rd-person perspective

I'm still skeptical that Universal has secured LOTR theme park rights, and would take any rumor, even from a trusted source like the BBC, with a grain of salt. I'm just not willing to invest the emotional energy into a rumor of that scale, and would rather save my excitement for when it is officially announced and for other confirmed IPs that are being applied to theme parks around the world.

@Russell: I wholly agree. But I am always up for a hypothetical discussion peppered with tiny flecks of reality so I thought I’d pass along what I’d read. Had I simply read a Reddit post, which is exactly where I first saw this, I would not have blinked an eye but the fact that the BBC was reporting it gave it a little more credence. But yes, it’s way too early to tell and if the Lord of the Rings was or is ever secured, it will be a big time announcement for Universal.

What do we think Universal Creative will adapt if this LotR rumor is true? I see a couple options:
* They adapt the Warner Bros. movies, similar to Harry Potter, and integrate the production design and costumes into a theme park land.

* They adapt the novels using their own style, unmoored from the Warner Bros. films.

I think the first option is a safe bet, but I would be excited to see a new spin on the books.

Seeing that Amazon has piggy-backed on the established style that Jackson used in his 7 films (including War of Rohirim), I would think Universal would go with that.

Upon thinking about it, perhaps there is some legitimacy behind this rumor about LOTR after all in that Universal has negotiated at the very least the British theme park rights to the IP in exchange for NOT utilizing HP in their new park, which is in close proximity to the WB Studio tour and its very popular HP attractions.

Universal GB is not getting LOTR! Even if Universal somehow got the rights to the franchise the cost associated with building a land like that means it would 100% go to Orlando.

@Francis:
I see your point here. Perhaps, however, an initial land might be built in the UK (not unlike the original Super Nintendo World being built in Osaka) and knowledge gained from its operations and popularity there allow the creative team to adjust and expand its presence over here in the states, presumably as an expansion pad at Epic Universe. I don’t think that if a Zelda land comes to fruition that it would be in the same park as LOTR themed land. So there’s that too.

Since Dragons as awesome at a Park - I give you Game Of Thrones...

Drogon, Daenerys's largest dragon, is last seen flying away with Daenerys's body - and might be a Great Coaster too.

LOTR at epic? Now we're talking. The minecarts thing was obvious, I don't know how I missed that.

@fattyackin - That is certainly a justifiable argument, and while Universal would likely get the biggest bang for their buck in Orlando, trialing a LOTR land in the UK would make perfect sense. As has been noted elsewhere, without Nintendo or HP, Universal UK needs that blockbuster IP to really draw the kind of attention to make it a true destination park. Some might say Jurassic World/Park could be that anchor IP, but if UC is planning to clone the dark ride from Beijing, that might diminish the worldwide appeal. Bond and Paddington allow for that British appeal with some wider global appeal, but I'm not sure either of those IPs would have the draw needed to put this park on the level of Universal's other parks. The BTTF coaster looks pretty impressive, and will undoubtedly be a favorite of the local thrill seekers, but again that IP just doesn't seem to have the zip and bankability to put this park on the map. LOTR would do that, and even if the land and/or attractions were cloned (and/or further expanded) in Epic or other Universal parks around the world, placing it in this park would be foundational and give this park the immediate appeal when it opens in 2031.

Again, I'm still not putting too much into this just yet, but where there's smoke, there's fire, and there are far more reasons to think that LOTR could be included here (and was often rumored for Epic and may still be as one of the known expansion pads) than there are to dismiss this out of hand.

@fattyackin - that's true I could actually see that happening. A smaller land to test things out and depending how popular it is a much larger land in Orlando later on.

@Russell - Jurassic World could absolutely be the anchor land in my opinion. All though I don't wish for a clone if they did clone the Beijing ride I don't think the fact its a clone would matter. After all this would be the first English version of the ride so world wide appeal would actually be better. I mean if your option was a ride in Mandarin vs. English I think we can all agree the English version wins out simply by the number of people that speak English as a second language.

The BBC article reads like these IPs are far more of a done deal than they are at this point. That said, between the concept art and mutterings I've heard, I think it's very possible these IPs (plus one more I'll get to below) are the first choices for Universal provided they can get the appropriate contracts signed. Before discussing specifics, a few general considerations to keep in mind...

-It is highly unlikely anything currently in operation at Universal Orlando will be included as part of this park. The United Kingdom is the biggest market outside of North America for Florida tourism, thus it would cannibalize international visitation to offer the same attractions at this park.
-It is highly, highly unlikely that the Wizarding World makes sense in any way, shape, or form at this property. With actual filming locations present less than an hour's drive from the park, the drawing power of a theme park version would be far less than it is in other locations. Additionally, rights issues likely would make getting approval for such very challenging, and even if that weren't a barrier there really isn't a good location for a version of the land distinct from anything that exists in Florida.
-It is unlikely Universal is designing this park for any market outside of Europe, thus the IP selection will likely be based on what has drawing power in the UK itself and the biggest European tourist markets to the UK (France, Germany, and Ireland) rather than what would be popular as a project in the United States.

With that in mind, let's look at this list...

Jurassic World and Minions (or more broadly Illumination) I very much see as locks for this park. Both are among the most popular active franchises for Universal, and both have a variety of attractions that have been developed beyond simply their representation in Orlando. I suspect we'll see a lot of influence from Universal Beijing's takes on these franchises for what shows up at the UK park.

Paddington is insanely popular over in the UK, and I see that as highly likely if Universal can sign the rights. This could be important as I believe Merlin currently holds the theme park rights to DreamWorks in Europe (or at least to some DreamWorks IPs), which would lock Universal out of using those for this project.

Back to the Future is an interesting choice as it's not that well known by modern audiences, but apparently the franchise is super popular in the UK (even more so than the US from what I've heard), and it is probably the best choice for a high speed thrill ride aside from Fast & Furious (which isn't very popular in Europe). The concept art very clearly shows an area resembling Courthouse Square with a massive launch coaster behind it, and given Universal already has these rights I'd say this IP is pretty likely to be featured.

Bond...James Bond. I could definitely see this being used for a stunt show as it's more or less the British equivalent of Jason Bourne, and it's probably a better choice than yet another installation of Waterworld. I don't think this property would be likely to get a large land in the park, but a singular attraction I could very much see.

Lord of the Rings is an interesting one as it's been rumored for decades with nothing ever panning out. However, rumors are Universal is trying to secure the rights to this IP for an expansion of Epic Universe, and if they're successful there I have no doubt they'll also develop something else in Middle-Earth for the UK. The difficulty with this IP is similar to the problem Star Wars faces: The lore is so deep it's nearly impossible to create a satisfactory representation with a single theme park land. The options are pretty much to recreate a single recognizable location (which restricts attraction options), throw out continuity and jam everything together (which hurts immersion), or make up a new location within the world (which may not resonate with guests). I wouldn't rule this one out, but of the six IPs listed I'd say this one has the longest shot of happening.

There's one IP not on this list that I feel very strongly is likely to make the cut for this park: Wicked. It's essentially been confirmed that Universal is looking at ways to develop a theme park version of Wicked (likely for Epic Universe's next portal), and given the timeline of this park it would make sense to debut it here at the same time. Looking at the concept art, I strongly suspect the big green coaster and area around it is where Wicked would go, as that section looks thematically distinct from the Jurassic-looking area on the left of the show building. Unless part two of the film winds up completely bombing, I feel this is a near lock for the property.

Wicked would be a good one. WB Movie World in Australia has shown Oz itself is very evergreen, and although I understand from Maloney’s Coasters there are some specific problems with that iteration, they’re problems that the likes of Universal would not repeat.

I think Jurassic World could be the perfect anchor. Despite my distaste for google baseball, I really don't think it would make a difference if the Beijing ride were to be cloned. Since this would be the ride's first English edition, it would have a greater chance of attracting riders from all over the globe. Considering how many people around the world use English as a second language, I think it's safe to say that English would win out if you were to compare it against Mandarin.

Interesting reading the comments above regarding Lord of the Rings. For those not familiar with the BBC they do a lot of verification and fact checking before going into print so from their article which states "James Bond, Paddington and Lord of the Rings are among the brands set to appear at the park, the BBC has learned" I would be very surprised if it is not included. We await to see in what guise.

Regarding its planning permission and opening date, the current government is pushing through a series of Bills to speed up planning processes for major construction projects so breaking ground will likely be sooner than later and with the government and Universal already agreeing the project a 2031 opening is a distinct possibility.

In another BBC article over the weekend Universal was seriously looking at a site in Rainham, Essex, near London in the late 1980s but didn't get enough financial support from the government.

Thanks for the BBC link, fattyackin! The BBC isn't on my daily scan of news sources, but I might have to add them just to get updated info on this park.

Middle Earth isn't an automatic easy fit for a theme park because of the technology level of the settings, but there are more than enough events and locations that can be adapted into enough rides and attractions for lands in several theme parks. (Bag End, the escape from the Goblin King, the battle with Smaug, and the Mines of Moria, just to name a few can all be adapted to theme park attractions. Universal Creative just has to be careful not to stray too far from the original set of literature lest they offend the hardcore fans. But then again, should that really matter?

*** Update ***

Following a new concept map released the UK's Daily Mirror newspaper has reported Universal UK will include:

> A six year construction schedule creating 20,000 jobs and a further 8,000 jobs once opened including hospitality and retail

> A "live" volcano

> An on-site luxury hotel

> A rollercoaster on water

> Plenty of retail shopping options

> The Universal globe

> A large performance stage jetting out to the water (for the James Bond stuntacular?)

Mark Woodbury said “Bringing a world-class theme park and resort to the United Kingdom is a tremendous opportunity and is part of our strategy to introduce the Universal brand and experiences to new audiences around the globe. We appreciate the incredible support for our proposed project and look forward to bringing it to life in the years ahead.”

https://universalukproject.co.uk/

To keep updated on progress.

Why do any of the proposed IPs have to have a British connection at all ?
In fact I find that a little condescending if I'm honest. A strong IP is all that's required.

Also not sure I understand why securing LOTR , or any other franchise of similar magnitude , would mean that Universal would then prioritise Orlando over Bedford.

I'm not that invested in a UK park myself ( I have my reasons) but Universal are here to make money and they're convinced that they'll attract an audience so any big name IP they can get will have a place here. Putting something like LOTR in Orlando would be putting all their eggs in one basket. What would LOTR replace ?
Anyway they've elected to invest in a Park in England rather than expand Orlando even more right now and they need a few good IPs. Besides let's get Epic launched first.

Maybe any profits made in the UK will help finance an Epic expansion in years to come.

Just a thought but they might consider the "Kingsman" franchise if they can prise that from Marv Studios.

@Rob P - I think the real story here is that LOTR is even on the table for being applied at any major theme park. As far as I'm concerned, that is the Holy Grail of IPs that have yet to be utilized in a theme park. For the longest time, Star Wars went underutilized with the tangential Star Tours being the only attraction featuring the IP, but when Disney announced and created Galaxy's Edge, primarily to combat the immensely successful WWoHP, it opened up the possibilities of even the most popular IP in the world coming to a theme park. The issue with LOTR has always been about securing the rights and convincing the Tolkien estate that designers to fulfill the desires and vision of its creator.

I think there's a level of excitement in the potential of LOTR being used at this new UK park, not only because it would signal that one of the most popular non-applied IPs has finally been secured by a theme park operator, but it would provide the possibility being used in other parks, particularly in Orlando where we know Lost Continent (and perhaps Toon Lagoon) are slated for makeovers at IOA, a number of areas in USF could use modernizing (including Springfield/Animal Actors, Fear Factor, and F&F), and there are a number of built-in expansion pads already primed for development at Ep[c It's very possible that if Universal did indeed secure the LOTR license it is just for the UK, but I think it's those possibilities of that very popular IP being utilized at one of the most visited theme parks in the world that get people buzzing.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh, hold on, did you just say... lost continent? i had an entire thread on this and now i have a good theory on what will replace it. Thanks Russel!