Universal Great Britain - Speculation & Rumors

[rob@rar]

A customer of mine is an electrician who specialises in high voltage stuff and works on big jobs. Last week he got a call saying he's going to Bedford....
That is probably just me looking too much into stuff and putting 2+2 together.
It's for a new project but wouldn't tell anyone what it was.

National Power are on site at the moment, fixing an (unrelated) high voltage fault along Manor Road, which is why it's closed for a few days. Maybe it's that?

 

[yepthatguy]

I think it’s related to the diggers. I bet one hit an underground cable.

 

[Doug88]

National Power are on site at the moment, fixing an (unrelated) high voltage fault along Manor Road, which is why it's closed for a few days. Maybe it's that?

Next time I see him I'll ask him if he knows anything about universal because he's clued up with stuff in that area.

 

[havaska]

I know people have discussed the possibility of DrWho being an IP to be used but I think we can rule that out seeing as now there’s currently a Tardis at Disneyland Resort.

 

[Altonsky]

I know people have discussed the possibility of DrWho being an IP to be used but I think we can rule that out seeing as now there’s currently a Tardis at Disneyland Resort.

I imagine Disney have first dibs anyway, you’d think so considering they’re spending a pretty penny on the worldwide distribution rights.

 

[xtpower]

I imagine Disney have first dibs anyway, you’d think so considering they’re spending a pretty penny on the worldwide distribution rights.

Suits me, Dr. Who never particularly excited me. Let Disney go for it, we probably won't see anything til UGB is opened anyway .

 

[GAcoaster]

While there is a Dr. Who promotion at Disneyland, I believe it is specifically to promote Dr. Who coming to Disney+ and that it's outside the actual parks. I doubt they have any contract for theme park use.

 

[Chessy]

Suits me, Dr. Who never particularly excited me. Let Disney go for it, we probably won't see anything til UGB is opened anyway .

I’m also not bothered about seeing Dr Who. Doesn’t float my boat unfortunately.

 

[rob@rar]

Another ‘meh’ about Dr Who. Other IPs would be far more alluring for my family, LoTR, Potter, Jurassic World especially.

I’d also add Bond and Paddington to the “doesn’t float my IP boat” list.

And please, no Waterworld. It’s almost a 30 year old show, and I found it quite tedious when we saw it in 2006. Surely it’s time for something different…?

 

[Altonsky]

While there is a Dr. Who promotion at Disneyland, I believe it is specifically to promote Dr. Who coming to Disney+ and that it's outside the actual parks. I doubt they have any contract for theme park use.

I’m sure they don’t own the theme park rights but you’d think they’d maybe have first refusal though?

Tbh I’m not really too fussed either way, I like the show but I think it’s a little too niche anyway.

 

[xtpower]

Had a few thoughts about what the worst possible theme/IP combination could be (while working within the confines of what we already know). Here's what i came up with, brace yourselves guys this won't be pretty.

Instead of a Hollywood Boulevard type main street they go with Oxford Street that leads into a central hub that copies Trafalgar Square.

For themed areas, we have no Potter, no LOTR, no Nintendo. Instead we get a BBC land with a Eastenders set recreation and a Dr. Who Webslingers clone. Jurassic Park/World is packaged in an area with Fn'F, Transformers and Kong. For the final area we get the British Movies area, with single ride/attractions to distinctly British movies but nothing groundbreaking - but definitely expect a Dark Ride through Islington based around Five Weddings and a Funeral.

The finale in this piece de resistance of shittery? The signature ride is a copy of the London Eye only smaller.

*edit* I also forgot about the British landmarks area, which has a Tower of London and Tower Bridge and Houses of Parliament.

 

[yepthatguy]

Had a few thoughts about what the worst possible theme/IP combination could be (while working within the confines of what we already know). Here's what i came up with, brace yourselves guys this won't be pretty.

Instead of a Hollywood Boulevard type main street they go with Oxford Street that leads into a central hub that copies Trafalgar Square.

For themed areas, we have no Potter, no LOTR, no Nintendo. Instead we get a BBC land with a Eastenders set recreation and a Dr. Who Webslingers clone. Jurassic Park/World is packaged in an area with Fn'F, Transformers and Kong. For the final area we get the British Movies area, with single ride/attractions to distinctly British movies but nothing groundbreaking - but definitely expect a Dark Ride through Islington based around Five Weddings and a Funeral.

The finale in this piece de resistance of shittery? The signature ride is a copy of the London Eye only smaller.

*edit* I also forgot about the British landmarks area, which has a Tower of London and Tower Bridge and Houses of Parliament.

Bad day at the office?

 

[xtpower]

Bad day at the office?

Nah. the Dr. Who talk reminded me of a dream and then I just expanded on it. I kinda wanted to put that nightmare out there to take away it's strength and also cos I have a streak of dark humour and thinking of the worst possible Park ever is funny to me.

I'm fully aware that none of what I said would happen, but I do still have worries that Universal might build a Park without a marquee IP e.g, no Potter and no LOTR. So this is me going to the utter extreme to bury those worries.

 

[yepthatguy]

Nah. the Dr. Who talk reminded me of a dream and then I just expanded on it. I kinda wanted to put that nightmare out there to take away it's strength and also cos I have a streak of dark humour and thinking of the worst possible Park ever is funny to me.

I'm fully aware that none of what I said would happen, but I do still have worries that Universal might build a Park without a marquee IP e.g, no Potter and no LOTR. So this is me going to the utter extreme to bury those worries.

That’s fair enough, I know what you mean.

Okay I’ve got one…

A James Bond Ride.

Enter via a tube station with trains passing like the velociraptors through the glass, with tube noises and sounds.

Board the tube which leaves the station and after a massive explosion above ground (sound effects, vibration, and some dust falling) stops at a secret station where ‘M’ appears on a screen telling you to hurry..!

Guests then move through a small walk through section and meet AI ‘Q’ who is a hologram of Desmond Llewellyn, as John Cleese was busy in the Monty Python land, and explains that something bad has happened in Londonium.

As a commotion can be heard through the lab, guests board a trackless dark ride in Q’s lair whilst bad guys are shooting (like rise of the resistance).

Then when the ride hits a dead end and there’s no way out. AI Q appears on the ride screen calm as you like saying “oh dear, we’re in a tight spot,” then presses a button that drops the cars down a level into a smoke machine filled area and water sounds before the smoke clears revealing the guests are now in a massive imax curved theatre like the BTTF / Simpsons ride and we have escaped under water in Q’s latest amphibious vehicle.

As we traverse the shopping trolleys and sea monsters of the brown river Thames under water we catch up with James Bond who reveals what’s happened in detail and begrudgingly says “i work best alone, but I need your help”

We then follow bond under water and save the day by ramming the back of the Macguffin, before returning to Q’s lair where him and bond are standing there whilst he berates Bond for scratching his vehicle and then says “the other agents were much more useful..” or something better.

Guests then exit through a secret door back to street level through a fake newsagents (mom and pop store) shop front and out onto an almost 100% accurate replica of a London street to carry on their day.

Could probably sneak in a stunt show section featuring 007 fighting someone twice his size - multi section rides are insane, I love them.

And also an SIS/MI6 headquarters replica similar to Hogwarts using the forced perspective effect.

I probably haven’t thought it all through…

 

[xtpower]

Thinking about LOTR, we're at a point where if the new films fail, the actual allure of LOTR as a marquee IP might be damaged. The films themselves have managed to avoid the taint of Rings of Power and even the Hobbit films failing to meet expectations but if these new films fail too it might sway Universal into going in a different direction - ala EU with them moving away from basing the Potter area wholly around the Fantastic Beasts.

So whilst regardless of my thoughts about the new movies and whatnot I want them to succeed so it doesn't jeopardise the chance of LOTR being in the Park.

 

[bedfordmassive]

Weren’t the Hobbit movies quite successful, made around £3bn?

 

[xtpower]

Weren’t the Hobbit movies quite successful, made around £3bn?

Yea, they made a ton of money but the quality compared to the OG trilogy was lacking. I think the Hobbit films alone wouldn't have hurt LOTR much, but then Amazon came along and made Rings of Power and that's hurt the perception of LOTR a whole lot. So our want for a LOTR area is kinda make or break on how the new films do - a huge failure will probably kill it dead.

 

[Steeb]

I think the negative wrap for Rings of Power is massively overstated tbh. It's currently sat at 7/10 on IMDB, and 83% from critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

If that were enough to derail a huge franchise, then Star Wars would have died with the prequels.

Also, it doesn't stop the stronger chapters in a franchise being made front and centre in a theme park setting, regardless of how old it is compared to new material. See Fantastic Beasts and Potter.

 

[Jake S]

Amazon came along and made Rings of Power and that's hurt the perception of LOTR a whole lot.

i just don’t think this is true. I think the biggest critics of the series are huge LOTR fans, who you’d expect would be very excited about a land based on the books or incredible trilogy of films.

 

[Steeb]

Never forget, a vocal minority on the internet is likely a very small cross section of public perception, and a lot of things get said negatively for clout. Especially in fandoms.