Rumors are abound once again that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade's Dragon Challenge roller coaster at Universal Orlando Resort will be removed completely in the near future for what might be a "dark attraction" related to the
Harry Potter film series, or even
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
While Universal's team would not comment about the stories, an insider explained this to the Orlando Business Journal:
Quote:
"Universal and Warner Bros. are working on a replacement for Dragon Challenge. When you think about how they redid the Hulk a while ago, a coaster can last only so long, and since [Dragon Challenge] wasn’t built as an original Potter attraction, it makes sense to change it out," the source said.
"From what I was told, it may have a portion as if you are in a forest — with part of the ride outside — and other parts indoor designed to make you feel like you're outside. It sounded more like a dark ride using technology like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man as opposed to a true coaster where the G-forces guests feel come from the track," the source added.
Prior to its merge with the first Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening in 2010, the coaster was called the Dueling Dragons that opened to the public back in 1999. It was renamed and rethemed to fit with the rest of Hogsmeade village and Hogwarts Castle 11 years later.
Once again, this has not been confirmed yet by Universal Orlando Resort, and the rumors are pointing to a possible 2020 open of this new attraction. All information regarding all three Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions across the United States and Japan will of course be reported here as soon as they are announced.
Warner Bros., when they announced the J.K. Rowling's
Fantastic Beasts series in 2012, confirmed that there would be a theme park tie-in with the installments down the line.
Harry Potter Orlando park attraction's Dragon Challenge may close for new 'dark ride' 
