Middle Earth coming to UOR?

[GadgetGuru]

Reading @Disneyhead 's post from way back, it's interesting to see how Universal have become the go to theme park company for any outside IP. I don't think Disney will ever secure a big outside IP again (Not that they need to with everything they own and have bought recently)

Disneyhead said that Warner Bros warmed up the Tolkien estate to the idea because how Universal catered to every demand by JK Rowling and we have Mrs Seuss to thank for her crazy demands for Seuss Landing that convinced JK Rowling to work with Universal.

Honestly, I don't think we'll see Disney attempt to take any outside IP at this point. I think they view theme parks as another avenue to capitalize on their IP. That makes theme parks no different from consumer products.

Universal doesn't have the IP to base its parks around home-grown stuff. And none of the other studios have the theme parks or the cash-flow to build up new theme parks from scratch.

 

[Alicia]

He said he got in trouble about saying that.

He did?

Didn't his video say they were working on a ride with the Spider-Man ride system but with inversions?

 

[tielo]

He did?

Didn't his video say they were working on a ride with the Spider-Man ride system but with inversions?

He didn't say it was about the Lotr rumor but it was after that video that now doesn't exist anymore.

Yeh that Spider-Man ride with an inversion is impossible and silly:bonk:. But I want to believe the Middle Earth rumor is true.

 

[shiekra38]

Universal doesn't have the IP to base its parks around home-grown stuff. And none of the other studios have the theme parks or the cash-flow to build up new theme parks from scratch.

It has more than it used to with the acquisition of Dreamworks and the development of Illumination.

Buuut, LOTR is a huge win

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Not to reinforce it too much but there seems to be a lot of traction behind this now, slowly, slowly becoming a lot more real.

 

[Alicia]

Not to reinforce it too much but there seems to be a lot of traction behind this now, slowly, slowly becoming a lot more real.

We’ve already been hearing about this rumor for 10 years, sure, why not keep at it for another 10.

 

[Doug A.]

We need a perpetuated rumor for this start to a new decade

 

[GadgetGuru]

I find it really hard to believe that Universal could quietly buy the LoTR rights. Something would've leaked, especially given how much attention the LoTR TV show rights got.

 

[Viator]

I find it really hard to believe that Universal could quietly buy the LoTR rights. Something would've leaked, especially given how much attention the LoTR TV show rights got.

I mean..Nintendo was kept pretty quiet apparently, especially considering that if I'm not mistaken, they had begun the discussions with the big Plumber House back in 2014.

I do agree, but it is something to point out.

 

[Disneyhead]

I find it really hard to believe that Universal could quietly buy the LoTR rights. Something would've leaked, especially given how much attention the LoTR TV show rights got.

I mean..Nintendo was kept pretty quiet apparently, especially considering that if I'm not mistaken, they had begun the discussions with the big Plumber House back in 2014.

I do agree, but it is something to point out.

We wouldn't be talking about it if there weren't some sort of leak.

Tomorrow I'm going to query some of my old friends.

 

[belloq87]

Can somebody summarize why this thread was bumped? What's changed?

 

[Disneyhead]

Can somebody summarize why this thread was bumped? What's changed?

Theme Park University posted an article yesterday saying that Universal is working on a Middle Earth Land for IOA.

Universal Orlando Is Quietly Working on A "Lord of The Rings" Land? - Theme Park University

 

[belloq87]

Theme Park University posted an article yesterday saying that Universal is working on a Middle Earth Land for IOA.

Universal Orlando Is Quietly Working on A "Lord of The Rings" Land? - Theme Park University

Thank you for that context!

 

[Scott W.]

We wouldn't be talking about it if there weren't some sort of leak.

Tomorrow I'm going to query some of my old friends.

If you don’t post for a while, we’ll take that as a yes.

 

[quinnmac000]

I mean..Nintendo was kept pretty quiet apparently, especially considering that if I'm not mistaken, they had begun the discussions with the big Plumber House back in 2014.

I do agree, but it is something to point out.

I remember multiple people on this forum were saying Nintendo was coming before the announcement and many of the insiders shutting it down (but then again probably because they didn't want trouble with Universal).

Just want to point out things have happened which were "quiet" but really not quiet at all.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

We’ve already been hearing about this rumor for 10 years, sure, why not keep at it for another 10.

I would also like to mention that WDWNT reported that DISNEY had acquired that license in the past 10 years too. So, it's all over the place. I'm of the mind that this is such a long standing rumor I need people I'm close to confirm it first before I believe it.

 

[Mad Dog]

Just to speculate, if the rumor materializes into reality instead of just concepts.......I can't see them putting it in Epic in place of Dragons since that land, or whatever would replace it, is needed for kid rides balance. So, the only place I see it going would be LC or Toons area. Kidzone is out of the question since it's CURSE is even too strong for LOTR to beat .

 

[Legacy]

I find it really hard to believe that Universal could quietly buy the LoTR rights. Something would've leaked, especially given how much attention the LoTR TV show rights got.

The purchase of rights CAN be conducted with a very small number of people. The fewer the number of people, the less likelihood of a leak.

A press release was published for the TV show. Theme parks operate very differently.

 

[quinnmac000]

The purchase of rights CAN be conducted with a very small number of people. The fewer the number of people, the less likelihood of a leak.

A press release was published for the TV show. Theme parks operate very differently.

Just another tie in to why they are very different.

Theme parks everything mainly is created by internal team and ideas for competitive reasons have to protected which is why things don't get announced for theme parks as they don't want competitors taking ideas etc. Television, book rights, specs, and scripts go up for bidding so every single studio/production company already knows about it so releasing that information publicly doesn't effect competition after the winner of the bidding is decided. Which is why everyone knew about the LOTR show.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The purchase of rights CAN be conducted with a very small number of people. The fewer the number of people, the less likelihood of a leak.

A press release was published for the TV show. Theme parks operate very differently.

Announcements also depends on which party has the power and wants to announce first. Fox and Nintendo needed good press quick after bad financials so that's why Avatar and Nintendo were announced so early.