Universal UK is actually happening!

Last week the news broke that the UK Government and Universal Studios had finally signed off the deal which will see the creation of a brand new Universal Studios Resort in Bedford, UK. This is the biggest ever news for the UK Theme Park industry, will create thousands of jobs, boost our tourist industry and will see the most immersive theme park the UK has ever seen open in 2031.

This news had been expected for a while and speculation had been growing since Universal’s parent company first purchased land about 2 years ago, held some consultations in Bedford and then all was quiet for around a year…it’s widely acknowledged that the previous (awful) Conservative government stalled discussions but Labour have sorted it and we are getting a Universal Studios.

Whilst we don’t know the details of the deal struck with the Government it’s likely the Government will spend money on infrastructure improvements near the park (rail and road) and will give Universal Studios some tax-breaks. We also know from last weeks announcements that we will likely see more plans in the next year or so.

But, let’s get into the announcement and dive into the concept art!

How big will Universal UK be?

From the concept art and plan above we think it will be a park around the same size as Islands of Adventure in Orlando…which is big! We can see an on-site hotel and a city-walk type entertainment district too.

Back to the Future Roller Coaster?

On the left of the concept art is a large roller coaster with a spike behind a large show building and an open square, with Universal Studios registering ‘Back to the Future’ as a trademark in the UK recently it’s highly likely we’re seeing a Back to the Future area and I couldn’t be more excited!

From the artwork I think we’re looking at the clocktower and surrounding buildings before a roller coaster starting in a show building and I’m seriously hoping this roller coaster hits 88mph during its launch! If it does then it’s also likely that Universal will be taking the UK’s tallest and fastest crowns from Thorpe Park’s Hyperia and Stealth…and let’s be honest, if they don’t build a Back to the Future themed coaster that hits 88mph they’ve missed a trick.

Lord of the Rings

The 2nd trademarked name that has surfaced over the last week is Lord of the Rings

What lands are we getting?

Whilst the concept art isn’t labelled we can speculate a lot from that and the trademarks registered by Universal in the UK so far…so let’s speculate and dive into that concept art!

Personally, I think this will be set in the large show building to the right of the art and we’ll likely see a large indoor area…maybe with multiple attractions but maybe even a fully immersive LOTR dark ride.

Jurassic World

Jumping to the top of the map we see an area that has a lot of similarities to Jurassic World areas in other parks and it’s speculated that the show building will see the Jurassic World dark-ride from Universal Studios Beijing come to the UK alongside some drop towers and then a large coaster which goes out onto the lake.

Waterworld

At the top right corner we see a building that looks similar to those used for the Waterworld stunt shows in other parks. Whether we’ll see a clone of this show or (as rumoured) a James Bond themed version of this show is anyone’s guess but we know it’ll be the best UK theme park show!

Minions

To the right of the lake, just after Lord of the Rings we see what looks like a clone of the Minions area in Beijing. If this is a cloned land then we’ll see Minion Mayhem and an indoor area with a fake coaster on top but junior coaster inside.

Everything else coming to Universal UK

We can see another children’s land on the map just before Back to the Future, a (possibly) Hollywood Themed Main Street, a building (possibly a restaurant) overlooking the lake and space where a couple of indoor rides could also be.

What about Harry Potter?

The obvious thing missing from the map is any form of wizarding world which personally, I’m not fussed about but a lot of people will be. It’s widely thought that Warner Brothers have the exclusive rights to Harry Potter in the UK for their studios tour in Watford which stops Universal having a wizarding world. This could, of course change in the future with park expansions but I don’t think this leaves a gap in the park at all.

Summary

In summary this is incredibly exciting and this is going to change the UK Theme Park industry forever, bringing the most immersive theme park to the UK and with Universal clearly leaving some development space on that map and wanting to buy more land this is just the beginning and I can’t wait to follow the construction!