Just this summer, Universal revealed its new "park-within-a-park," The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where fans get to stroll through Hogsmeade, find wands at Ollivander's, and fly hippogriffs. Though it's still fresh out of the gate, rumor has it that Universal is already looking to create a new park for their attendees.
Having dove into fantasy with a little young wizard action, now it looks like Universal wants to give their patrons the chance to travel to Middle Earth as well, to hang with elves, hobbits, and dwarves. Yep -- Universal is toying with the idea of making a Lord of the Rings theme park, just as Peter Jackson gets ready to return to Middle Earth himself.
Over at MiceChat, user "giggling_gargoyles" claims that the company sent out "a not-so-subtle" e-mail suggesting they're interested in an LotR theme park or attraction, asking a series of questions about the potential for rides, merchandise, characters, and more, while feeling out if respondents are part of the demographic interested in franchises like Harry Potter, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and of course, Lord of the Rings.
The post quotes:
"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."
Having dove into fantasy with a little young wizard action, now it looks like Universal wants to give their patrons the chance to travel to Middle Earth as well, to hang with elves, hobbits, and dwarves. Yep -- Universal is toying with the idea of making a Lord of the Rings theme park, just as Peter Jackson gets ready to return to Middle Earth himself.
Over at MiceChat, user "giggling_gargoyles" claims that the company sent out "a not-so-subtle" e-mail suggesting they're interested in an LotR theme park or attraction, asking a series of questions about the potential for rides, merchandise, characters, and more, while feeling out if respondents are part of the demographic interested in franchises like Harry Potter, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and of course, Lord of the Rings.
The post quotes:
"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."
