Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Officially Set For Universal Studios Hollywood

Those looking for the opportunity to experience the world of Harry Potter as presented by Universal Studios will eventually be able to do it in California. NBCUniversal announced today that they're going start construction on the first projects in their 25-year Evolution Plan, which includes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

One of the things J.K. Rowling succeeded in doing with the Harry Potter books is creating a world that readers both young and old want to visit. We want to see Hogwarts and Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. We want to drink butter beer and pumpkin juice and see a Quidditch game. We want to ride the Hogwarts Express and sit at Dumbledore's desk. Rowling's world is rich with a magical, colorful reality that exists parallel to ours within her stories. Of course we want to go to there, and while that may not be possible, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter might be the next best thing.

Talk of a Wizarding World of Harry Potter coming to Universal Studios Hollywood has been happening for a while now, and Universal now has the official approval to make it happen. NBCUniversal's announcement says nearly $500 million will be invested into the Harry Potter park. That's a hefty penny, but if you're going to spend the money, Harry Potter is probably the way to go. The popularity of the books and the film franchise speaks for itself, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. The Harry Potter attraction will reportedly create more than 2,000 construction jobs for the community.

As a result of the Harry Potter attraction's planned construction, Gibson Amphitheatre will be closing to make room for it. And Harry Potter's arrival will also mean the closing of the Curious George attraction, which will close at the end of this summer. So if you're a fan of the adorable storybook monkey, you might want to get to Universal Studios Hollywood to enjoy the attraction while it's still there.

The plan for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is to provide fans of the books and films with a fully immersive experience, including a Hogwarts castle, which will serve as the centerpiece of the environment. The attraction is said to be similar to what Universal has in their Orlando Resort and will aim to be faithful to the "visual landscape" of the books and films. The announcement says they plan to break ground on this project in late summer, but there's no mention of the anticipated finish time, so we'll have to wait and see how the progress goes once they start building.