Universal rumoured to be planning a Lord of the Rings theme park

You might soon be able to make your own journey to the shire.

Theme parks based around movies and popular characters are pretty common. There’s Disneyworld, of course. Harry Potter has both the London studio tour and the various Wizard World across the world. Simpsons fans can visit Springfield in Universal Studios Florida. And there’s Super Nintendo World opening in Japan 2020. But now JRR Tolkein fans could be the next to see their favourite fictional places brought to life. Fan site Disney and More is reporting a story about a new fourth park being built at Universal Studios Orlando, codenamed "Project 314". This park will have several themed worlds, including:

• A Nintendo world, which may also include Pokemon
• A Harry Potter world
• A Jurassic Park thrill ride
• A Lord of the Rings world

All of those sound really exciting, but it’s the Lord of the Rings them that stand out. Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Nintendo parks and rides already exist, or are due to open soon. But a LOTR/Hobbit themed attraction would be a new experience, and there would be no shortage of cool things that could be built – an incredible recreation of the Middle Earth scenery, a barrel ride rollercoaster, or even giant animatronic dragons. It's all just a rumour at the moment - but lets keep our fingers crossed for something official.