Epic Universe Expansion Speculation

[Blue]

There is a lot of potential with DC, but I can't imagine Comcast wanting to give money to Netflix right after losing the bid for Warner Bros.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Just heard the merge news. So no chance on lord of the Rings at epic at this point right?

What makes you say that? Amazon controls that now

 

[mccgavin]

What makes you say that? Amazon controls that now

Technically, no. Embracer Group owns the LoTR IP. They have licensed the IP to Amazon for The Rings of Power, but they have simultaneously allowed WB to use it for The War of the Rohirrim and the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Technically, no. Embracer Group owns the LoTR IP. They have licensed the IP to Amazon for The Rings of Power, but they have simultaneously allowed WB to use it for The War of the Rohirrim and the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum.

Ohhhh yes you’re right forgot about Embracer (ugh)

 

[Killer Klown]

What makes you say that? Amazon controls that now

I think Amazon’s rights are super specific, like it’s only for TV and it’s only for the supplemental works not LOTR or Hobbit proper. Which is why Amazon had to go the super prequel route with ROP and why WB is still making LOTR films.

 

[AB2020]

Since this is about speculation, I will throw in a few more ideas that might not be on the radar anywhere, but I am wondering if any of these could be feasible in the future (potentially in any park):

1. Game of Thrones: Incredibly popular TV show, distinct themes, many options for rides, and they are still doing spin-offs etc. Obviously another IP that would need to be licensed, but I think as a land it would be a great option. Personally I have not watched the show, so I won't be able to give any specific ride ideas, but I am sure there are plenty.

2. IT: Now obviously this would be a land that would not be suitable for little kids, which makes it a long shot, but as far as horror goes, IT is as mainstream as it gets. The movies were popular, and the TV show that started recently already has been locked in for 3 full seasons. There is plenty of lore, iconic locations that would make great themed lands and lots of options for ride ideas. But also would need to get fully licensed.

3. A music based land: This would be something that has not been done before, and likely would only be a small land and require a lot of licensing. Think "Great Movie Ride" but for music, going through different scenes of different artists. Might not be my cup of tea but I think people would go absolutely crazy vibing with a Taylor Swift animatronic or a rocking to ACDC. Due to licensing issues this might be the most unlikely though.

Again, I know this is not specific to rumors, but just general speculation if concepts like these would work.

 

[queenmetroid]

Given Netflix is willing to work with Universal (for now), you're much more likely to see IT at HHN long before it becomes a standalone theme park land. It's simply too intense for a day to day audience in a way that the Universal Monsters aren't. The walkaround characters are intentionally goofy/comical/silly moreso than anything else, and that's to make the land accessible to younger people.

At this point, Netflix is such a juggernaut in their own right, I would not be surprised to see them attempt their own theme park concept if the Netflix House concept proves popular enough.

 

[Steptwice]

Since this is about speculation, I will throw in a few more ideas that might not be on the radar anywhere, but I am wondering if any of these could be feasible in the future (potentially in any park):

1. Game of Thrones: Incredibly popular TV show, distinct themes, many options for rides, and they are still doing spin-offs etc. Obviously another IP that would need to be licensed, but I think as a land it would be a great option. Personally I have not watched the show, so I won't be able to give any specific ride ideas, but I am sure there are plenty.

2. IT: Now obviously this would be a land that would not be suitable for little kids, which makes it a long shot, but as far as horror goes, IT is as mainstream as it gets. The movies were popular, and the TV show that started recently already has been locked in for 3 full seasons. There is plenty of lore, iconic locations that would make great themed lands and lots of options for ride ideas. But also would need to get fully licensed.

3. A music based land: This would be something that has not been done before, and likely would only be a small land and require a lot of licensing. Think "Great Movie Ride" but for music, going through different scenes of different artists. Might not be my cup of tea but I think people would go absolutely crazy vibing with a Taylor Swift animatronic or a rocking to ACDC. Due to licensing issues this might be the most unlikely though.

Again, I know this is not specific to rumors, but just general speculation if concepts like these would work.

I think once you watch GoT you will realize its not going to translate well into a theme park world. Too vulgar and R rated with no way to tone it down without losing the alore.

 

[DOOMBOT]

Since this is about speculation, I will throw in a few more ideas that might not be on the radar anywhere, but I am wondering if any of these could be feasible in the future (potentially in any park):

1. Game of Thrones: Incredibly popular TV show, distinct themes, many options for rides, and they are still doing spin-offs etc. Obviously another IP that would need to be licensed, but I think as a land it would be a great option. Personally I have not watched the show, so I won't be able to give any specific ride ideas, but I am sure there are plenty.

2. IT: Now obviously this would be a land that would not be suitable for little kids, which makes it a long shot, but as far as horror goes, IT is as mainstream as it gets. The movies were popular, and the TV show that started recently already has been locked in for 3 full seasons. There is plenty of lore, iconic locations that would make great themed lands and lots of options for ride ideas. But also would need to get fully licensed.

3. A music based land: This would be something that has not been done before, and likely would only be a small land and require a lot of licensing. Think "Great Movie Ride" but for music, going through different scenes of different artists. Might not be my cup of tea but I think people would go absolutely crazy vibing with a Taylor Swift animatronic or a rocking to ACDC. Due to licensing issues this might be the most unlikely though.

Again, I know this is not specific to rumors, but just general speculation if concepts like these would work.

They are definitely all unique discussions.

Spoiler: Game of Thrones

1. Generally TV shows have shorter cultural lifespans than other media. I just don't believe there is much untapped desire for a Game of Thrones land looking into the 2030s. It'd be the equivalent of Lost having a presence at Disney World now. It's also a rather dark show, from what I understand, and not quite suited for a theme park land next to the Isle of Berk.

If they are going with a third-party fantasy IP, they might as well go with the much bigger and more palatable Lord of the Rings, or an IP like Zelda where Universal already have steady licensing agreements in place. And at that point, I understand their desire to go with Wicked, an in-house fantasy IP with wide marketing appeal.

Spoiler: Derry

2. I believe Dark Universe is about as horror as a daily-ops theme park land could get, and Darkmoor isn't very scary. Derry is a big location within the horror space, but I don't see it being thrown around a ton as a place that anyone would like to visit. As with Games of Thrones, the location would be dismal and dark.

Unless you make a full Stephen King land (the real counterpart to Seuss Landing lmao), it would all have to revolve around the most popular aspect of the franchise, Pennywise the Clown, which is very limiting to an entire land concept. IT also deals with some very touchy social conversations that I imagine UDX would not want to engage in.

IT would get an HHN haunt, but an Epic land is very out there.

Spoiler: Musicians

3. It's not exactly a 1:1 comparison, but Hard Rock Park was a disaster. Even if you base your attractions off of established or legacy artists, the world of music changes so much that its' hard for an expansion like it to stay relevant and popular in the longterm. People were calling Aerosmith out-of-date in the 2000s, and we've seen countless rumors of newer pop stars being considered for the space, before similarly exiting their prime eras. This turnover and lack of monoculture has only gotten more prevalent since music streaming took over.

It's something that I honestly believe only a pop icon as old and beloved as Dolly Parton can pull off, and even that's mostly just because she owns her own park!

Licensing out an entire lands' worth of artists' would be a nightmare. Again, look at HRRR and how it never updated its' song selection. I believe in another thread we were talking about how the movie industry flunked and lost cultural relevance compared to theme parks. Outside of a few major exceptions like Taylor (for now), I'd say the same thing about the music industry. I really don't think a collab with Travis Scott, Metallica, Doechii, Morgan Wallen, etc. would actually boost Universal Studios in a meaningful way anymore, outside of ticket sales for a one-day Mardi Gras concert.