Tonight, NBC will air Harry Potter: The Making of Diagon Alley, a special that will give viewers an inside look into the making of Universal Studio's upcoming new Diagon Alley attraction. Ok, it's probably a big advertisement for the park, airing in anticipation of the grand July 8 opening of Diagon Alley. And yet, that doesn't really offend us, because for Harry Potter fans, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley may be the closest we get to actually setting foot in J.K. Rowling's fictional world. We'll take whatever previews of Diagon Alley we can get... while we simultaneously clench our fists and try to apparate ourselves to Orlando in time for the opening.
Harry Potter: The Making of Diagon Alley is an NBC News primetime special, which will air tonight at 8:00 p.m. and will be hosted by Meredith Vieira. The special offers Harry Potter fans a behind-the-scenes look at the design and construction of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley. As the preview above indicates, actors from the films -- Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort, and Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Bellatrix Lestrange, among others -- will appear in the special, as they (and their characters) will be featured among the mentioned interactive 3D scenes at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley.
It's exciting to see how much work and attention to detail seems to be going into these attractions. As we said, this is an opportunity for fans to step inside the world of Harry Potter. Including some of the original crew and actors in character for the attraction will hopefully enhance the whole immersive experience for fans, whose expectations are surely high as the July 8 opening approaches.
NBC's announcement about tonight's special also mentions the involvement of Bonnie Wright and James and Oliver Phelps, who played Ginny, Fred and George Weasley respectively in the Harry Potter films. The trio participated in a tour of Diagon Alley, during which time they shared photos of their experience on Instagram for our entertainment. It seems Wright, Phelps and Phelps also participated in interviews, which will be featured during tonight's special. The Making of Diagon Alley will also include in-depth interviews with the creative team that brought the Harry Potter world to life.
While this special will likely do the trick to encourage fans to book a trip to Orlando, FL to visit Universal Studios, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley got some additional coverage recently when Jimmy Fallon was in Florida with The Tonight Show earlier this month. During a segment shown on the late night talk show, Jimmy and Higgins stopped by Ollivanders to get fitted for wands. As you might have guessed, the two had a lot of fun with that situation, jokes-wise.
Harry Potter: The Making of Diagon Alley will air tonight (Monday, June 30) at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. And Universal Orlando's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley opens to the public on July 8.
