Universal Orlando Resort has officially acknowledged that a new ride is under construction at Universal Epic Universe. Located in the Dark Universe world, this “thrilling addition” will be “an all-new indoor coaster… immersing guests in an all-new story inspired by the Universal Monsters franchise.”

Permits describe the future ride’s building, which is being built behind the Monsters Unchained attraction, as being 93,000 square feet in size. Let’s dig into today’s official announcement, as well as the latest technical details from permits, and rumors for what the new attraction could be based on.

New Ride Official Details

Today’s announcement was revealed across all official social media channels, as well as in a press release from Universal Orlando.

Universal Epic Universe is preparing for its next thrilling addition: an all-new indoor coaster coming to Dark Universe – immersing guests in an all-new story inspired by the Universal Monsters franchise. Construction is underway, with an opening planned in the years ahead. https://t.co/9CDJzerHPu

— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) November 5, 2026

In the release they had this to say:

Just over a year after its official debut, Universal Epic Universe is already preparing for its next thrilling addition: an all-new indoor coaster coming to Dark Universe, one of the theme park’s five extraordinary worlds. Located next to the award-winning Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, the upcoming attraction will immerse guests in an all-new story inspired by the iconic Universal Monsters franchise. Construction is already underway, with an opening planned in the years ahead.

This new thrill ride is another example of how Universal Orlando Resort continues to bring all-new experiences to life across the entire destination.

The official details above refer to the new ride as a thrill ride multiple times, and confirm that it will be an indoor coaster. This had been the leading rumor in recent months.

The announcement also uses the words “years ahead” when describing the timeline for this new construction. That phrasing pretty much rules out a 2027 opening, which isn’t surprising, but I would say a 2028 target opening year is certainly possible.

The press release states that the ride will have an “all-new story inspired by the iconic Universal Monsters franchise,” but stops short of revealing which characters could be featured. See the next section for the latest word on the street for what we’ve been hearing.

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The Latest Ride Rumors

Longtime followers of this project will know that it was originally rumored to be an indoor boat ride attraction starring The Creature from the Black Lagoon, but those rumors seemed to have changed this year.

Despite being rumored since before Epic Universe was even announced, it did sound like the Gill-Man themed boat ride concept had fallen to the wayside for an indoor coaster concept instead this year.

The leading theory for which of the Universal Classic Monsters could be featured is currently Bride of Frankenstein.

She is not currently a character that can be found on the attractions already open in Dark Universe. You can find her within the village of Darkmoor as a meet and greet though, and her merchandise can be spotted for sale all throughout the resort.

Some fans are still holding out hope that the new ride could feature more than one Monster. If that ends up being the case, perhaps we could still see Creature from the Black Lagoon represented on this new indoor coaster. (However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Gill-Man already appears on Monsters Unchained.)

Now that we have confirmation that the ride will in fact be an indoor coaster, that’s starting to lend credibility to the newer rumors that the ride system could be similar to attractions like Revenge of the Mummy or Escape from Gringotts.

Like those existing rides at Universal Studios Florida, this new ride could be a story coaster, incorporating both highly themed show scenes as well as roller coaster thrills between.

Perhaps, like the nearby Monsters Unchained, we could even see an animatronic or two here.

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Permit Details and Technical Information

Construction to prepare the land for this new ride has been happening all year at Epic Universe, with a several acre expansion site behind Dark Universe cleared and graded.

Currently, pile driving is going on and concrete is being poured into the earth to help prepare for a large ride building foundation. Holes are being dug for the first framing pieces as well.

Inside the park, the first work walls facing guest areas were added just last month. Where these walls are located is where we expect the ride’s future entrance path to be added, between The Burning Blade Tavern to its left, and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment on the right.

Known as Project 680 in official documents, permits filed with Orange County show the main structure as being 93,308 square feet total. Of that, 71,500 will be “tenant space,” or usable square footage.

This new structure will have the building number designation of B1570. (Prior to these new permits, the previously highest building number listed for Dark Universe was Curse of the Werewolf, which was permitted as B1560.)

The structure is listed in permits as being 3 stories tall, although the exact heights for each of the floors are not listed, as some levels may be taller than others.

Permit notes have revealed that there will be a “Ride Maintenance Bay on the first floor,” (which was our first indication that the new attraction would in fact be a ride).

The contractor working at the site is Whiting-Turner, and it is their work trailers that can be spotted within the work site. It’s possible these trailers will be removed or relocated as work continues, creating space to add covered queue areas to serve the new attraction.

It is worth noting that all of this work will not affect the larger expansion plot between Super Nintendo World and Dark Universe. Currently there are staging areas being set up in this 8-acre expansion plot, but nothing permanent is planned to be built here, leaving this space to add another world to Epic Universe (or even expand Super Nintendo World someday).

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Remember, this isn’t even the only new ride project that’s currently permitted for Epic Universe. New construction permits were just issued to build a near 100k square foot ride building in the park’s Wizarding World land. Although, visible construction has not yet started on that possible new expansion.

For more details and additional visuals be sure to check out our latest video all about these, and more construction projects around Universal Orlando Resort. Subscribe to the YouTube channel or enter your email below to never miss an update.

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Stay tuned to Park Stop as we continue to cover this exciting new, and NOW OFFICIAL, indoor coaster project!

Subscribe to the RSS feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Official Art: Universal Destinations & Experiences | Original Photos: Alicia Stella | Aerial Photos: Bioreconstruct | Permits: Orange County Government | Other Images as Captioned

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