Universal GB - Archived Post Announcement Discussion

[Sam]

Sorry, I just want to check I've understood this correctly... in 2030, they'll be opening an attraction based on Kevin Costner's 1995 flop 'Waterworld'?

 

[Mick]

I highly doubt Lisa Nandy has sat in on design meetings, and will most likely be regurgitating stuff Universal have sold her about British opportunities. I’d take nothing she says at this stage as confirmation either one way or the other.

For those that followed Epic Universe from the first announcement - at what stage did they announce the worlds?

 

[Josh555]

I highly doubt Lisa Nandy has sat in on design meetings, and will most likely be regurgitating stuff Universal have sold her about British opportunities. I’d take nothing she says at this stage as confirmation either one way or the other.

For those that followed Epic Universe from the first announcement - at what stage did they announce the worlds?

I could be wrong but I think the official announcements came via press release videos, they did one every 6 weeks or so for each land with about 3-6 minutes of detail and they were around a year ago.

Of course Alicia Stella effectively announced them much, much earlier than that so none of this was a surprise to anyone when the confirmation officially came. From recollection I knew of all the worlds years ago although I can't remember exactly given how much of it I've followed for such a long time.

 

[Benjsh]

Sorry, I just want to check I've understood this correctly... in 2030, they'll be opening an attraction based on Kevin Costner's 1995 flop 'Waterworld'?

I don't think the film has any relevance to it's popularity though and you don't need to know the story really. People pack out the shows daily in California to see stunts and explosions more than anything.

It's the one 'attraction' that I'd happily lose too from the artwork or at least have it swapped for something else. Purely because I have already seen it so kind of know what to expect.

 

[Quantum]

How long do Universal leave it before confirming the themed areas? I'm still not convinced that top right area is anything but a place holder, even if it's Shrek related it looks very unthemed

 

[Benjsh]

Some on Inside Universal forums speculated that its a BTTF Coaster where the spike has a lighting strike affect when you ascend it when it then launches you to 88mph, the idea being that you enter the ride in a different time zone to when you leave it.

If they do that they'd have surpassed even my expectations.

I'm sure it will be absolutely outstanding if they did this but I'm whatever they come up with will be good.

BTTF for me is on a par with likes of LOTR and Potter in the fact that it means so much to people. They won't want to under deliver with such a beloved IP.

Massively excited.

 

[Benjsh]

How long do Universal leave it before confirming the themed areas? I'm still not convinced that top right area is anything but a place holder, even if it's Shrek related it looks very unthemed

I have my suspicions about this too. Of all the areas on the art work it probably gives the least away which I think could be a hint that it will be something pretty big which they are holding back on.

Potential it could be Potter if they are still working out a deal with Warner Bros. LOTR or Wicked obviously could be alternatives.

 

[Maelstrom]

How long do Universal leave it before confirming the themed areas? I'm still not convinced that top right area is anything but a place holder, even if it's Shrek related it looks very unthemed

With epic it was announced in 2019 with the initial concept art and they started announcing the lands around Feb 2024. Although they were exactly as predicted back in 2019 and clear from construction and leaked information.

 

[benpicko]

Europe's first Universal theme park coming to UK - BBC News


Bond and Paddington confirmed by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. Also ‘like Harry Potter’ suggests Potter will not be present!

She says 'these are things like Bond and Paddington' as well, though?

 

[tech]

With epic it was announced in 2019 with the initial concept art and they started announcing the lands around Feb 2024. Although they were exactly as predicted back in 2019 and clear from construction and leaked information.

Bear in mind that we’re all thinking of the way that Merlin tease things out over an incredibly long period, refer to things as Secret Weapons, and cover everything in hessian until the morning of launch.

I’ve not followed previous Universal launches, but are they quite as shrouded in secrecy, or are they quite happy for us to build some early excitement at what’s to come?

 

[Dobba]

Jaws and BTTF? Now we just need to hope one of those coasters in the concept turns out to actually be a pair of B&M coasters so this park corrects all of Universal Orlando's most ridiculous decisions.

 

[tayspru]

If people who told you what would be in Epic Universe in 2019 start telling you what will be in GB, listen to them

 

[Benjsh]

Jaws the ride (Orlando version) will forever be one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had at a theme park. We rode it 4/5 times on our visit there in 1996 as a family. Absolutely perfect attraction and badly missed.

In fact I'd say that the 5 rides I think about most of that trip 30 years ago are:

1. Jaws
2. Alien Encounter
3. Tower of Terror
4. Back to Future
5. Montu - This might seem lame in 2025 but in 1996 it was arguably one of best coasters on the planet.

 

[Llama]

I’ve not followed previous Universal launches, but are they quite as shrouded in secrecy, or are they quite happy for us to build some early excitement at what’s to come?

Universal announces everything properly within the year prior to opening but by that point you'll already be intimately familiar with all of the details thanks to an amateur photographer on Twitter with an Avatar avatar

 

[dave___]

How long do Universal leave it before confirming the themed areas? I'm still not convinced that top right area is anything but a place holder, even if it's Shrek related it looks very unthemed

People going to be going over the planning documents with protractors and set squares trying to compare the dimensions of buildings to known IPs.

Do the planning docs for England have to be far more prescriptive than ones in the USA in terms of knowing rollercoaster dimensions and so on?

 

[FeverDream00]

People going to be going over the planning documents with protractors and set squares trying to compare the dimensions of buildings to known IPs.

Do the planning docs for England have to be far more prescriptive than ones in the USA in terms of knowing rollercoaster dimensions and so on?

We should know the layout of coasters by the planning permission documents. Only thing we might not know is what's inside buildings (think Project Horizon at AT. All we know is it's a big building).
Edit: as in, we don't know a layout for what's inside Project Horizon's building. I think it was alluded that it would be a coaster potentially

 

[tech]

Universal announces everything properly within the year prior to opening but by that point you'll already be intimately familiar with all of the details thanks to an amateur photographer on Twitter with an Avatar avatar

Actually I think I've found a MUCH better source on Twitter...

 

[Ares]

This would be my take on the park map.

The questionable area is where I've used the Trolls IP for young children and which combination of IP's are used in the Illumination Area aside from the obvious two of Minions and Sing it would seem based on the theatre buildings.

 

[John_P]

No Football Factory Factory ride, I'm disappointed!

 

[Bert2theSpark]

Another thing I've noticed regarding sightlines, the big first spike on the swing launch will likely appear directly behind the top of the clocktower from Back to the Future, where the lightning is struck in the first movie, which is such a cool detail!