There are a whole lot of different properties in development to become theme parks. It’s really an exciting time to be a fan of amusement parks with all of the attempts that are being made by companies to make the most out of their IPs. However, there are some series of films, TV shows, novels, etc. that people adore but will probably never get adapted into parks, for a variety of reasons. Here are three popular properties that you shouldn’t expect to be brought to life as parks any time soon.
1. Lord of the Rings
The world of Lord of the Rings has to be very high on people’s lists of what they want to see become a theme park. Sadly, that will most likely never come to pass. It almost definitely won’t at a Disney park, considering not just how much Disney is already committed to building at its theme parks, but also because of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s despise of the company. He was always very concerned about the legacy of his work after his death, and strangely thought that Disney would be one of the worst to help continue it. For example, he rejected suggestions for illustrations in The Hobbit because he thought it felt “Disneyfied.” He went so far as to forbid Disney’s involvement in movie adaptions. He said,
“It might be advisable […] to let the Americans do what seems good to them — as long as it was possible […] to veto anything from or influenced by the Disney studios (for all whose works I have a heartfelt loathing).“
And here’s a very, very sad critique from Tolkien of Walt Disney.
“I recognize [Walt Disney’s] talent, but it has always seemed to me hopelessly corrupted. Though in most of the ‘pictures’ proceeding from his studios there are admirable or charming passages, the effect of all of them to me is disgusting. Some have given me nausea“
Given evidence like that, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see Middle Earth from the Mouse. There were some talks about Universal Studios taking on a Lord of the Rings theme park after the recent success of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It makes a lot of sense, considering that Universal worked with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson on an attraction for King Kong in Hollywood. However, the fickle estate of J.R.R. Tolkien has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the beloved Lord of the Rings movies, so the buck will probably stop with them. Peter Jackson was once quoted as saying, “I don’t think a Hobbit theme park will ever exist.”
People got their hopes up for a little while with the revelation that a 120,000-meter theme park named La Carmaca (Spanish for “The Shire”) was being built in the City of Rincon de la Victoria, a seaside town in Malaga in the south of Spain, for 1.7 million euros. However, they haven’t acquired the rights for an official Lord of the Rings theme park. An unofficial one still sounds pretty cool, but it was definitely a disappointment for those expecting to get to see the actual characters and settings of the novel and film series. Best not to expect any traction on this high-fantasy epic being brought to life as a park.
2. Twilight
Half the people reading this probably groaned at the idea of a Twilight-themed park, but it’s a very popular franchise, especially among younger demographics. As fun (or not) as it might be to visit the world in-person of the novel and film series, Stephanie Meyer, its author, already came out against the idea in an interview at Sundance. Her new movie Austenland takes place in a Jane Austen theme park inspired by Pride and Prejudice, so the possibilities of a Twilight theme park naturally came up. Meyer said,
“I cannot comprehend why you would do that. How could you create that? It would be so boring. Would you have to go to high school for that? Ugh. Sounds awful. I don’t want to go back to high school. What would the ride be? We don’t have rides [in the Twilight books or films]. I guess you could have a mechanical vampire that you could ride piggy back. I think that’d be a liability issue though.”
She makes some solid points. Whereas Hogwarts is a school full of magic and mystery, the characters of Twilight attend a mostly typical high school that just happens to have vampire and werewolf students. It doesn’t sound like a place that would be super exciting to explore, and they’d also have to find somewhere cloudy so that the vampires can sparkle! More importantly than making a good argument, though, Meyer has the power to say no to a Twilight theme park if she doesn’t want one. Twi-hards shouldn’t expect any sort of development anytime soon.
UPDATE: Looks like Meyer might have been wrong, as the town of Forks is being built as part of a new park. You can read more at Theme Park Insider.
3. Game of Thrones
The biggest thing holding back a theme park based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels and Game of Thrones TV show is undoubtedly the content. A faithful adaption would contain way too much sex, violence, nudity and more things that aren’t age appropriate. Not exactly welcoming to young children, one of the main demographics that theme parks chase after.
As a compromise, there is apparently a “funfair” being built in the city Dubrovnik Riviera. According to a report, it’s to be positioned on the Island of Lokrum, which neighbors the walls of an ancient city. There is to be a monastery plus props, costumes and jewellery from the TV series available to look at. It will even have the original Iron Throne that looms so large in people’s minds when they think of Game of Thrones. All of this is exciting, but it’s neither in a good tourist location or will likely have more typical rides and other attractions that younger attendees would enjoy. It’s unlikely we’ll see a United States theme park for Game of Thrones now, at the height of its popularity, or ever.
