

Universal is rivaled only by Disney when it comes to theme parks, and recently, Universal has been busy adding more parks. Not only do they have their newest Orlando park, Epic Universe, right around the corner (Opening May 22nd), but they are also planning construction for a new park in the UK.
This project, located in Bedfordshire, is rumored to incorporate some exciting Universal properties. Some of these properties include James Bond, Paddington, and most notably, Lord of the Rings.
It is worth mentioning that each of these properties have strong connections to the United Kingdom. Even Lord of the Rings has ties to the UK since it is where author J.R.R. Tolkien lived for a large portion of his life.
This wouldn’t be Universal’s first time incorporating the world of fantasy into their parks either. For a long time, the Harry Potter franchise has populated their Orlando parks. Of course, the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises have many similarities. It will be exciting to see how Universal adapts another iconic fantasy series.
It will, however, be unlikely that the Harry Potter franchise will appear at this new Bedfordshire theme park. One source told the BBC that “Warner Bros. has the UK rights to Harry Potter attractions. They tried to find a way around it but couldn’t.” This means that Universal does not have the ability to make Harry Potter attractions in the UK currently.