• June 1, 2007

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort will create a Harry Potter-themed amusement park based on the best-selling books by J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. films.

The park, "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," will be within Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort; it is slated to open late 2009.

It will include rides, shops, interactive attractions, thematic restaurants and something the companies are calling a state-of-the art attraction "that will bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never before experienced."

The theme park is being designed by Stuart Craig, who was a production designer in all the Harry Potter feature films.

--Karl Greenberg