ATTENTION: THE FOLLOWING REPORT IS A RUMOR. PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING STORY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.

With Universal’s Epic Universe park slowly coming into fruition ever since it was announced in 2019 more and more details are beginning to emerge. Details on the Super Nintendo World, Universal Monsters and How To Train Your Dragon sections are being spread around while the Wizarding World section is said to be going through some changes due to the Fantastic Beasts franchise not doing so well.

But whispers have been floating around over a potential future expansion for the park, one not based on a Universal IP, but one based on a classic fantasy franchise. It appears there may be plans to add J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle Earth to the Orlando based resort. Or at least there were plans at one time.



According to reports about an old guest survey that came out a few years back one of the guests reported being asked about potential interests in different IPs, including a possible Lord of the Rings section with the following descriptive paragraph:

“Imagine if you will a world unlike any you’ve ever visited before: it’s Middle Earth, the ancient and beautiful land forged by J.R.R. Tolkien as the backdrop for his two most well known creations, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Walk as a human among dwarves, elves, orcs and hobbits-all faithfully recreated and portrayed in the spirit of the original characters as they appeared in both the books and the movies. In this land you’ll experience one-of-a-kind rides and attractions that bring to life some of the most memorable experiences of Tolkien’s world including Bilbo’s hobbit hole, the fortress at Isengard (before it was destroyed) and even the dark world of Mordor, including the terrifying volcanic Mount Doom.“

But recently a number of other similar rumors have bene coming out, saying the land will be used for a “Harry Potter sized IP” and that locations will be based on a mix of The Shire and Rivendell with both a river ride and an roller coaster. 

If any of these rumors are true then the most likely place the land would be is in the Expansion Pad to the East with 20.5 acres of land, one of the biggest sections in the park. Though it was originally believed to be themed after Star Trek it appears Universal is looking for more dragons rather than space ships.



With Disney constantly hiking up prices at their parks and slowly driving people while Universal keeps offering new experiences sooner or later Universal may become the king of Florida based entertainment (at least for a little while). Lord of the Rings is such a massive IP it may repeat what Harry Potter did to the Disney parks back in 2010.

The Epic Universe expansion seems to be getting bigger and better with more and more people looking forward to it. Come 2025, when it opens, Disney may lose what little edge they had over Universal.

Would you like to see a Lord of the Rings section at Universal Studios, Orlando?

Source: Orlando Park Stop