Universal Orlando may not be announcing them, but permits and even construction on the ground tell the story of multiple large-scale new attractions coming to all three theme parks, including Epic Universe. With no official details given, not even for the roller coaster clearly under construction, we’re left piecing together a puzzle for what properties and ride types we could see added over the next five years.

Let’s dig through permits, rumors, and speculation in today’s news update. See the video version of this story below for additional visuals.

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Potter Expansion at Epic Universe

Thanks to some sneaky methods for filing permits, Universal Orlando seems to have changed the way they describe new projects in public documents. This is making it harder than usual to figure out what contractors or supplies go with which project, or where projects are located.

Luckily, one upcoming massive project for Epic Universe has just had its location confirmed in official documents. The permit for the 150,000 square foot expansion is now listed as being for Project 905, which is the code for The Wizarding of World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, confirming what we had suspected.

With such a large footprint, we believe the new project is being built in an expansion plot on the right side of this land. Permits filed so far are for site utilities and foundation work, on what we can only assume will be a new attraction.

A new Notice of Commencement that may be related to architectural work on the new mystery project lists an end date of December 31, 2028. Now, an end date on a contract like this is only for the work to be done by this particular contractor, but it’s interesting nonetheless to see an end date on an official document possibly related to this massive project.

Speculating on what this project could mean for the park as a whole, the company is likely looking to add more ride capacity to Epic Universe and fast. The Wizarding World land originally had a second ride planned, but it was canceled early in construction, so this makes it a prime candidate for the park’s first major addition since opening.

Plus, the park could use more indoor rides, to help offer more for guests to do when storms roll in. Many of the park’s major attractions are set outside, and must close when lightning is in the area. This includes roller coasters in 4 of the 5 worlds of the park.

Rumors for what a new ride for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter could be themed to still continue to revolve around a flying broomstick experience. Whether this is based on actual information or just guesses since that’s what the canceled attraction was based on remains to be seen.

No one believes the new ride would utilize VR, as the initial concept was rumored to employ. Instead, many are wondering if we could see some sort of tracked flying broomstick attraction. Perhaps an existing ride system could be employed, like the Mack Powered Inverted Coaster like at Jurassic World in Universal Beijing.

Or, Universal could be cooking up something new, like the patents we’ve seen for suspended ride systems filed with the United States Patent Office during the development of Epic Universe.

If I personally were to take a stab at it though, I would assume the ride will not be suspended. Universal has shied away from using suspended ride systems in recent years. Canceling multiple projects that employ those technologies, like reworking plans for the Ministry of Magic ride to instead employ a ride that could lift up and down from the base instead, for example.

For me, I could see a new type of ride system that runs on rails. Imagine something that’s across between the Tron Lightcycle roller coaster and the old fashioned single rail powered pony kiddie rides. Flying on a broomstick through physical sets in a massive ride building, with building facades and magical creatures could not only be a great way to add indoor capacity to the park, but a big box building could be constructed relatively quickly and populated with creatures and tracks in no time.

But those are just predictions, and the truth is, we have very little information on this project. New permits for concrete work are being filed now that may be related to this project, so we should hopefully see movement on the ground, soon.

For all the mystery out there, it is still exciting to know that something is coming to Epic Universe, and something big.

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Celestial Park Updates for 2026

While development of new attractions for this park are shrouded in mystery, there are at least a few things we know for certain are happening, and happening now.

Two new dining locations are set to open within Celestial Park in 2026. Confirmed by Universal themselves to be opening in 2026, permits say this shared building within the hub of the park will feature both a Mexican and an Italian restaurant.

Universal has started testing new projection effects for its central fountain. Spotted in the middle of the night this month, projections of various things related to all of the worlds of the park have been tested in the fountain. It’s possible these could be for a new nighttime show at Epic Universe for 2026.

Permits have been approved for the backstage building coming to the hub areas, to be built across from the Atlantic seafood restaurant. This new multi-purpose structure is expected to be utilized for special events and also to support hub entertainment Team Members.

Despite Universal Orlando stating that a theme park ticket is needed to experience Celestial Park when Epic Universe opened, I can’t help but wonder if the so-called” open hub concept is not dead. Connections for ticket turnstiles exist within all of the portals leading to the individual worlds, so if they wanted they could open the gates of the Chronos to non-paying visitors any time, and just validate for tickets when passing into the individual worlds.

Adding new dining, refreshing the nighttime show, and preparing the park for special events all could be ways the park is readying itself for an eventual open hub debut.

Plus, with annual passes inclusive of Epic Universe still not available, a hub that could open in time for dinner each evening, as well as special seasonal event offerings like festivals, could be a way for locals to visit without needing an annual pass. We’ll just have to wait and see, but again this is merely speculation.

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Nintendo Expansion Next?

If the first new ride to be built at Epic Universe will in fact be for the Wizarding World, many presume a new Nintendo-themed area would be next, but which property would it be based on.

Rumors for a Luigi’s Mansion themed area to be built in the expansion plot to the right of the existing Super Nintendo World came out in the lead up to the park’s official opening.

Since opening however, fans have taken on new speculation. With Zelda being prominent in the Super Star Store, and new rumors suggesting that Zelda will not be taking over Lost Continent in Islands of Adventure, we’re left to wonder if Epic Universe will be the future home of this franchise in Orlando?

And don’t forget, in a now deleted Instagram video promoting the construction of Epic Universe, fans were quick to point out how Zelda game producer Eiji Aonuma was touring the park, under construction at the time, along with creator Shigeru Miyamoto.

Whether an expansion could be based around Luigi’s Mansion, as first reported by Screamscape, or take us into the Legend of Zelda, as speculated on by fans, it’s more than likely that this would be the park’s next big project after work starts on the possible Potter project first.

Luigi’s Mansion was rumored to be an omnimover with interactive ghost blasters, while Zelda has had several pitched concepts over the years. Multiple concepts have included indoor boat rides, so many are hoping that that’s what we could see if a land based on this property is eventually realized.

Of course, if a new indoor boat ride for Zelda is built here in Epic Universe, just next door to Dark Universe, would that mean that the rumored Creature from the Black Lagoon ride would never come to fruition? These are just some of the many different things to consider when attempting to predict the future of new attractions at the parks.

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New Coaster Under Construction

Jumping from Epic Universe to Universal Studios Florida, the next attraction there doesn’t need to be predicted. Construction is well underway on a new large-scale roller coaster to replace the now completely demolished Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

New coaster footings have been installed along a large strip leading from the park towards CityWalk. Could this be for a massive coaster spike?

A large coaster spike was something Amusement Insider speculated on for their incredible prediction video. It’s a great way to incorporate extremely powerful launches and speed into the skinny but long footprint for this attraction.

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A new walkway recently opened along the waterfront in CityWalk, giving the roller coaster project site even more space to work with.

As with every other major new ride project we’ve discussed so far, Universal has not yet released any details on this upcoming roller coaster, despite it being well under construction.

The leading theory has long been that it will be an east coast version of Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift, of which the first version will be opening in 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The station building for the new coaster in Florida is being constructed behind the New York backlot area, in a section of backstage where parts of the previous coaster once stood.

The story for the attraction in Hollywood rumored to have us learning about the stunt work for the Fast & Furious films, culminating in a drifting car ride through the backlot of the working movie studio where we can experience some of the maneuvers for ourselves.

This could mean a return to the filmmaking storytelling the studios parks used to be known for, which would not only be the perfect for the Hollywood iteration, but could also explain the placemaking of having a station building backstage in Orlando.

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Fast & Furious Supercharged to be Replaced

Of course, whenever we talk about the new roller coaster possibly being themed to Fast & Furious I have to bring up how that likely means Supercharged will have to close too. That’s what has happened at Universal Studios Hollywood for example. A replacement for that portion of the tram tour has not yet been announced though.

We have seen a rumor that the Supercharge attraction in Orlando could see a quick Back to the Future themed overlay added to it, which would maintain ride capacity in the park by not having to close the attraction for an extended amount of time.

But there have been multiple rumors for other, more permanent replacements for Supercharged as well. With the ride system still fairly new, I assume any replacement would probably keep the ride path and 360 projection tunnel intact, and just incorporate new theme and story.

One rumor we reported on years ago was for a Knight Bus ride to replace this attraction. That would extend The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley to replace all of San Francisco though, which would give that one property a large swath of space in Universal Studios Florida.

If Back to the Future were to take over, perhaps we could see a permanent Hill Valley overlay for the land, keeping it another city in California, albeit a fictional one.

Or maybe the Back to the Future rumor was actually for an after hours event, like an east coast version of Fan Fest Nights, and won’t be a replacement for Supercharged at all?

Whatever the future may hold for Supercharged, it may have to wait, as permits recently dropped for the next Halloween Horror Nights, and it seems like we once again will have a house location set here.

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Lost Continent Demolition

There’s still more to speculate on for Studios, but first let’s hop over to Islands of Adventure, where work may already be starting on that park’s next big thing.

Trees have been cleared in a section of Lost Continent, an area of the park that has been confirmed to be demolished.

Permits list the Poseidon’s Fury building explicitly, but Universal’s very own PR department even acknowledged that work will be happening here in the coming months to prepare for “future developments.”

It is now strongly rumored that Lost Continent will be replaced with Pokémon. That’s part of the calculation on why many believe Zelda plans have shifted to Epic Universe, as for years we all presumed Zelda would be coming here. With DreamWorks Land having replaced KidsZone next door, moving Pokémon here makes sense… (especially if they wanted to get started on it now, several years before The Simpsons contract supposedly ends, opening up more land in Studios later).

No one knows what types of attractions or offerings a Pokémon land could offer. Older pitched concepts for a Pokémon land included an indoor/outdoor family-friendly Mack Powered Inverted Coaster, an immersive Pokémon Battle arena show, playgrounds, and of course interactive Pokeballs where you can catch Pokémon around the land. Whether any of these older concepts survived to a new land, or we see entirely new ideas, remains to be seen.

It’s possible some of the structures and theming of Lost Continent could be retained, especially the structure and kitchen for Mythos. Similar to how the Enchanted Oak Tavern was retained and reused as the Three Broomsticks when Hogsmeade took over the Merlinwood section of Lost Continent, parts of the area could be retained for a new land here as well.

This could mean Mythos could remain open much longer than the rest of the area, which could be demolished and see new attraction buildings built all while a guest pathway and Mythos remain open on the opposite side of the land.

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Wicked Land Coming?

One last big attraction prediction for the next five years involves the incredible success of Universal’s in-house property, Wicked.

Screamscape is now reporting that Wicked lands and attractions are being greenlit for Universal parks around the world, on the scale of the Wizarding World.

This would align with news reports that the movie studio arm of the company had greenlit future films based on the franchise ahead of positive box office results from the second film recently released in theaters.

Perhaps Orlando’s Wicked land could find a home in Universal Studios Florida?

Despite rumors of The Simpsons’ contract being extended for this park, I am still predicting that we see Springfield removed in the coming years to make way for something fresh—which this park desperately needs.

If they were to completely demolish the aging simulator building, as well as the repurposed retail and dining options leftover from Back to the Future and the International Film and Food Festival from the 90s version of this park, they could create a new land fit for Wicked retail, dining, and a new high tech attraction as well.

Perhaps we could see an immersive Wicked area completed by the end of the decade? Just in time for whatever new film(s) they’re planning to release next.

In my opinion Universal Studios Florida is the perfect location for this type of experience. A park made currently made up of cities—like Hollywood, New York, London, and right now, the fictional city of Springfield, U.S.A.—could benefit from the imaginative and colorful, but also fictional, Emerald City, in the future.

This is entirely speculation on my part though, and is not based on any evidence or public documents, but I am curious to hear your thoughts.

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New Land and Transportation Projects

Zooming out, we do however have public documents showing that Universal is planning to prepare for something near Epic Universe.

It’s possible this land could be used for staging during the next phases of expansion near the south resort. Could we see parking garages start development across the street from the Epic Universe theme park? That was their original location for staging after all, and they may need a new one if they intend to build there next.

One last project where the cat is out of the bag, is a big one. Universal’s own special district, the Shingle Creek Transit and Utility District is looking to contract companies to build and maintain a massive new transportation project.

This new venture, dubbed the “Transportation Infrastructure Improvements Project,” is set to connect the separate sections of the Universal Orlando Resort together via proposed transit stations positioned at Epic Universe and also at the older parks and CityWalk, with stops along several of the hotels along the way.

The company has not made any formal announcement, and despite having a couple meetings in the fall to help find a contractor for the project, little is known officially at this time.

From those meetings however, we have at very least learned the proposed locations of the transit system. The stations have been split into three phases.

The first phase would connect different parts of Epic Universe, including the front entrance, the Helios Grand Hotel behind the park, the Terra Luna Resort across from the park, and the bus depot to the west of the park.

Phase two of the transit project would connect these stations to the Endless Summer Resort and then to the CityWalk parking hub.

And finally, phase three would place transit stations at the Hard Rock Hotel and Portofino Bay Hotel.

Since the project has not yet hired a contractor to make this transit system a reality, we actually do not yet know what type of transportation method it would employ.

Companies that were present at the meetings offer us some insight into who is interested in bidding on this contract, including firms that create fleets of autonomous vehicles, peoplemover-type shuttles, trains and other tracked systems, and more.

Who does not seem to be in the running, despite early reporting and rumors, are The Boring Company. In keeping with the theme of this video, I am making one more prediction. I do not see this transit system being an underground loop.

Tunnels are notoriously difficult to construct and maintain in Florida, and I imagine even more difficult near the Shingle Creek headwaters of the Everglades. Plus, with Musk’s company not signed in at the recent meetings, it doesn’t seem likely they’re actually in the running anyway.

We will be covering this massive transportation project more in the coming months, as contract(s) are awarded and land is acquired or prepared going forward.

For now, what do you think we’ll see for Universal Orlando in the coming five or so years? Keep in mind that the company will also be building a whole new theme park and resort in the UK during this time, not to mention investments in other projects around the world. But with Epic Universe struggling with its current capacity, it doesn’t surprise me that we’re talking about expansions there first.

Be sure to see the video version of this story for additional visuals. Big thanks to Bioreconstruct for sharing all of the aerial photos seen in this story.

Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Official Art: Universal Destinations & Experiences | Aerial Photos: Bioreconstruct | Permit Documents: fasttrack.ocfl.net | Photos & Graphics: Alicia Stella | Other Images as Captioned

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