The second clue for the Today Show’s Diagon Alley Grand Opening sweepstakes was revealed on the show this morning, as well as a look inside Ollivanders Wand Shop.

Just a quick reminder that Wand Week is approaching for those visiting Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. Wand Week takes place from Friday 23^rd May – Monday 2^nd June so get your tickets now! The activities are included in your admission ticket.

Discover first-hand how fight scenes were developed and see original moulds, concept art and wand designs as well as the iconic duelling table from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We’re also welcoming Death Eaters back to the Studio Tour, giving you the chance to test your wand combat skills by challenging them to a duel. Head Prop Maker Pierre Bohanna’s team will be in residence to showcase some of the techniques they used to hand-carve wands for the Harry Potter film series and you can see a special effects demonstration in Diagon Alley created by BAFTA-winning Special Effects Supervisor John Richardson.

More details from a previous press release may be read below:

[…] visitors will discover first-hand how duelling scenes were developed and the incredible amount of planning that went into each wand movement. They’ll get the chance to duel with a Death Eater after learning wand battle choreography with an interactive experience created by expert Paul Harris. Paul composed the battle scene between Dumbledore and Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and is the world’s only Wand Combat Choreographer.

Those exploring Diagon Alley will be able to see a special effects demonstration created by BAFTA-winning Special Effects Supervisor John Richardson. By pointing a wand, visitors will be able to cast a spell that will make the sign above Potage’s Cauldron Shop bang and flash as if by magic.

Original moulds, concept art and wand designs will be displayed in the attraction and members of Head Prop Maker Pierre Bohanna’s team will showcase some of the techniques they used to hand-carve wands for the Harry Potter film series.

The iconic duelling table, as seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, will also be on display in the iconic Great Hall set.

Variety is reporting that the first film in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series will be released on November 18th 2016. Cast and a director still have not been announced but as we’ve reported in the past, J.K. Rowling is writing the screenplay and David Heyman is producing.

Warner Bros. topper Kevin Tsujihara revealed in March that the studio was following in the footsteps of “The Hobbit” franchise with three “megamovies” for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Tsujihara persuaded Rowling last year to revive the Harry Potter movie magic by adapting her Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” for the big screen. Rowling wrote the 54-page book in 2001 between publication of the fourth and fifth Potter books.

Set initially in New York about seven decades before the start of the Harry Potter story, the films will follow magizoologist Newt Scamander. They’re not prequels or sequels, but an “extension of the wizarding world.”

The Today Show’s Al Roker gave fans a sneak peek at Platform 9^3/4 and some more locations in Diagon Alley on this morning’s episode, he also shared the first Harry Potter clue/question for the sweepstakes to win tickets to the Grand Opening this Summer.  If you missed our original post, details are as follows:

From May 13th-18th, TODAY will reveal clues featuring iconic sights from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter^™ at Universal Orlando^® Resort, including some from the all-new Diagon Alley^™.

Enter here and you could win a trip to Universal Orlando^® Resort to be a part of The Grand Opening Celebration at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter^™ – Diagon Alley^™.

ABC has released a first look at their new show How to Get Away with Murder, which will be airing on the network this coming Fall (Thursdays at 10pm). We posted about the show back in February when we revealed that Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas) would be starring in the show as Wes, an American student in a law class.

The brilliant, charismatic and seductive Professor Annalise Keating gets entangled with four law students from her class “How to Get Away with Murder.” Little do they know that they will have to apply what they learned to real life, in this masterful, sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller.

Thanks to SnitchSeeker for the tip!

As promised, the Universal Orlando blog was updated this morning with new details on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts! A description of the ride is as follows, there’s even a video preview (with Alan Gilmore, Thierry Coup, Mark Woodbury, Warwick Davis, and Rupert Grint discussing the ride:

And at the far end of Diagon Alley is Gringotts bank, with a larger-than-life dragon towering over it that breathes real fire. The bank is home to the signature attraction, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

In “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” there’s a pivotal scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione break into Gringotts bank to steal a powerful Horcrux that (spoiler alert!) will help them defeat Lord Voldemort. On Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, you’ll encounter the trio during this quest – but expect to meet some dangerous creatures and malicious villains as well!

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts has everything you could possibly imagine and more – it’s a mind-blowing next generation thrill ride through the Gringotts vaults. It combines 4K high-definition ride animation and 3-D technology with live special effects to propel you into the action of the Harry Potter books and films.

For a sneak peek at the action, check out this video featuring some of the creative minds that are bringing this attraction to life. We’ve also captured some photos inside Gringotts bank and taken screen grabs from the HD ride animation to give you a first look.

Get ready for the ride of your life.

More details were revealed in a press release:

During an action-packed, fully-immersive journey on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, you will:

• Marvel at the 60-foot, fire-breathing Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon atop Gringotts Wizarding Bank
• Tour Gringotts bank and pass through the marble hall where you’ll see goblins hard at work
• Race through a labyrinth of underground Gringotts vaults
• Encounter the villainous Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, as she attempts to send you to your doom
• Come face to face with He Who Must Not Be Named
• Experience even more mind-blowing moments

The multi-dimensional, multi-sensory attraction, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, will revolutionize theme park entertainment. This next generation thrill ride seamlessly integrates a compilation of the most innovative technology ever created, 360-degree themed sets, 4K digital high-definition animation, state-of-the-art 3-D Infitec projection systems and live special effects with beloved characters and breathtaking moments from the Harry Potter books and films.

“Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts will change the way you think about theme park attractions,” said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative. “We’ve created an entirely new type of ride that propels guests into the story like never before, and guests will remember it long after their visit to Diagon Alley.”