Numerous websites have been reporting today that several cast members, including Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) have been back filming some scenes for a short that will be shown at Universal Studio’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The Sun reports,
Helena Bonham Carter, 46, is among cast members who have been filming scenes at the Potter studios in Hertfordshire — reprising her role as witch Bellatrix Lestrange. A source confirmed last night: “The cast have really enjoyed getting back together — they are so tight-knit.”
The new “mini movie” will go on show at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction in Florida and two new Hogwarts theme parks under construction. The source said of the mystery new adventure: “The shooting schedule is nowhere near as long as the films, so though filming has been intense, the stars have enjoyed being able to pop in and out.”
While it seems that this is correct information, and it most likely is, the news should be taken as a rumor until confirmed by Universal or Warner Bros. If true, this could mean that the new short(s) will be shown along with the new Hogwarts Express ride, which will hopefully be opening some time in 2014. It is also a possibility that they will be shown in the California and Japan theme parks when those open in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
Universal Orlando has announced that they will be opening up a new hotel in 2014 for guests of the park. It will be called Universal’s Cabana Beach Resort and will contain 1800 rooms. The opening of the hotel will coincide with the opening of their second Potter-land at Universal, which is rumored to be Diagon Alley and/or a Hogwarts Express ride.
Half of those rooms will be “family suites” — lower-end suites with room for as many as six people. Universal said the hotel will be modeled after a large, sweeping motor court, to evoke the road trips many Americans grew up enjoying when on vacation. Renderings of the hotel show a retro-style entrance, with clean lines accented by orange-and-turquoise flourishes.
“Our new hotel will give guests an affordable, incredibly themed on-site hotel experience unlike anything else at our resort,” Tom Williams, chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Parks & Resorts, said in a prepared statement. “Our new family suites and family-value pricing will give our guests on-site options they’ve never had before.”
Universal and Loews are positioning Cabana Bay as a more-affordable on-property option than their existing hotels: the 1,000-room Royal Pacific Resort, the 750-room Portofino Bay Hotel and the 650-room Hard Rock Hotel.
Like guests in the three existing hotels, travelers booking rooms in Cabana Bay will get early admission to Universal Orlando’s two theme parks. But unlike guests in the other hotels, they will not receive complimentary front-of-the-line ride passes.
“The Cabana Bay Beach Resort furthers our goal of operating special and distinct properties in important markets,” Paul Whetsell, Loews Hotels & Resorts president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “This is another important step in our plan to expand the Loews system in major markets across the United States.”
The new hotel will be built on 37 acres adjacent to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park, just off Hollywood Way and Turkey Lake Road.
Cabana Bay is being timed to coincide with the opening of a second Harry Potter-themed “land” that is also expected to open in 2014 and will likely deliver another huge attendance surge to the resort.
It’s also the latest example of Universal Parks & Resort’s new corporate owner, cable-TV giant Comcast Corp., sinking money into the theme-park business. With Comcast’s blessing, Universal is also building copies of Wizarding World in Southern California and Japan.
The LA Times is reporting that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to be built at Universal Studios Japan, an official announcement is expected to be released tomorrow. According to the article,
Universal Studios Japan on Thursday will unveil plans to build the first international version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the blockbuster attraction that has drawn millions of fans to Universal’s Orlando resort and is coming to Los Angeles.
The Osaka destination — expected to begin construction in the next few weeks with a planned opening in late 2014 and an expected cost of about $500 million — brings Hogwarts Castle and rides including Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to the boy wizard’s biggest market outside of the United States.
“A lot of work goes into building these parks, so we’re probably at the limit of what we could manage at the moment,” said Globe. “But if some other great opportunity for Harry Potter presents itself, we would certainly take a look at it.”
In a statement, Rowling gave her stamp of approval to the newest addition to her Harry Potter empire: “I was delighted to experience and enjoy the attention to detail, creativity and superb craft that went into the first Wizarding World in Orlando,” she said. “I am equally delighted that the same level of expertise and enjoyment will translate to the new park in Japan.”
Fans will recall that the Wizarding World in Los Angeles isn’t scheduled to open until 2016, so fans in Japan will be getting Potter much sooner. Universal Orlando will also have an expansion to include more attractions.
Screamscape has posted some new details about a rumored Hogwarts Express ride at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando Florida. The site states:
(2/29/12) While the Hogwarts Express wont be a Funicular going up a hill, or even through a tunnel, the company does also make a series of regular cable powered shuttles that transport riders on aerial tramways. You’ll find a few of these in Las Vegas or various airports around the world. Now, the insides of these cable cars will be an entirely different matter, and will appear more like the inside of what I believe is called a “sleeper car”. (Forgive me if I’ve used the wrong term… I’m not train person.) The interior will feature a narrow walkway down one side of the car, with individual doors leading into the separate rooms, each furnished with a pair of face-to-face seating bench seats, with a single large window (ie: video screen) to the outside world on the far wall end. This will be your window into the Wizarding World for the duration of your journey between London and Hogsmeade.
(2/13/12) Screamscape sources came through over the weekend with some new details about the controversial Hogwarts Express train ride that would connect the back of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. From what I’ve been able to learn so far, which I was expecting to hear, the Hogwarts Express train ride should not be a true locomotive style train ride. There will be a locomotive and coal car, but purely for appearance’s sake, connected to a trio of passenger cars.
By design, there should be two separate train units which will load and depart their respective stations simultaneously, along a single section of track, that will split into two side by side rails only in the middle of the trip, allowing the two trains to slip past each other. The trackway between the two parks will actually be elevated up in the air the entire way, which will technically place Platform 9 ¾ on the second floor of the King’s Cross station on the London side. I’m not certain, but the raised ground elevation at Islands of Adventure may allow for the depot to appear at ground level. The elevated track system will allow for large trucks to still pass underneath along Universal’s busy back roads. I’ve also attached a graphic depicting where I believe the track and stations will be placed.
Screamscape is reporting some exclusive news on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that will be opening at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Screamscape sources confirmed that we shouldn’t expect to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter open in Hollywood until 2015. The first phases of construction work for the project (or demolition to make room) are expected to begin before the end of Summer 2012 however.
Universal Studios has released a new video from today’s announcement at Universal Studios Hollywood. See the following posts for the press release and event photos.
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