A Harry Potter theme park is set to open in Universal's Islands of Adventure Theme Park in late 2009, complete with the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village, announced Tom Williams, chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts Thursday.

Williams said the Harry Potter attraction would be like "a theme park within a theme park" spanning about 20 acres of Islands of Adventures' 85 total acres.

"Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling, Universal: We're all completely committed," he said. "We're committed financially; we're committed intellectually to deliver a product that exceeds expectations."

Stuart Craig, the Academy-Award winning production designer for the Harry Potter movies, is leading creative design on the park to make sure it remains true to the look and feel of the films.

"Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter's world as it is portrayed in the books and films," Craig said in a press release.

The Wizarding World will feature rides, shops and restaurants all based on the fictional world of Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter book writer JK Rowling herself will be collaborating with Universal on the park, and she said she "is very excited about the project."

"The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed," Rowling said in a press release.

Williams said Rowling has been collaborating on the park from the beginning and will continue to do so through the opening.

The park will let visitors view the famed locations in Rowling's magical world, like Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts and the shops in Hogsmeade. Some locations may be in upcoming books.

Many tourists outside the theme park said the experience would boost its appeal to a younger audience.

"I'd go to Universal before I would Disney World to go on a Harry Potter ride," said 15-year-old Alex Moran, who was visiting Orlando from Pleasant Hill, Mo.

The Harry Potter book series has been translated into 65 languages with more than 325 million copies sold in over 200 territories around the world.

The fifth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be released in theaters July 13 by Warner Bros. The seventh and final book of the series will be released July 21.

(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2007)
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