Epic Universe theme park starts to rise up
Ten months after Universal resumed work on its third Orlando theme park, Epic Universe, the first visible signs of the development have risen from the ground.
But Universal remains tightlipped about progress on the much-anticipated development as theme park fans take to the internet to speculate about the progress of Orlando’s first major attraction built in the social media age.
During a recent visit to the site, workers were seen operating a crane and construction equipment. Two structures, one with workers on top of it, were visible on a lot that appeared mostly vacant from the road.
Aerial photos taken by the Orlando Sentinel show the rest of the property in the initial stages of work, though the outlines of the project appear to be slowly taking shape.
Announced in August 2019, Epic Universe is about 2 miles directly southeast of Universal Orlando Resort, between West Sand Lake Road and Universal Boulevard.
The park was initially slated to open next year, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed work for nearly a year, and construction resumed in March.
In recent months, Universal and its construction companies have steadily filed work permits with Orange County for the land registered to the new theme park, records show.
Universal has not publicly updated Epic Universe’s expected opening date. When construction resumed last year, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the company told him it would be in early 2025.
Orange County spokeswoman Kelly Finkelstein referred questions about Epic Universe’s construction timeline to Universal. Universal spokespeople declined to comment about the park’s construction and development.
While many of the recently filed permits are for plumbing and fire
systems, an architecture firm filed for a hotel permit at the future Epic Universe site in late November, records show. It is still under review.
Finkelstein said Orange County has issued 52 permits for the project so far: seven in 2019, 23 in 2020, 11 in 2021 and 1 in 2022, with 10 additional sub-permits issued over that period.
“A larger number of additional permit applications have been submitted, and are nearly ready to be issued, but the timing for the final steps of the permit applications and actual construction is, of course, totally up to the developer,” she said in a statement.
Along with constructing the new theme park, Universal is partnering with Orange County to extend Kirkman Road through the Epic Universe site. The company is receiving up to $125 million in tax dollars from the county for the project, plus an additional $16 million from the state.
Finkelstein said construction on the road started late last year with utilities, excavation, grading and structure work at Universal Boulevard and Tradeshow Boulevard.
The project is expected to be completed in late 2024, she said.
What will Epic Universe include?
Epic Universe’s 750-acre development will include the new theme park, hotels, an entertainment complex, shops and restaurants, according to the company.
Its announcement of the park included concept art featuring several themed lands branching off from a central hub with three lagoons. What appears to be a large hotel stands across from the park’s entrance.
Theme park writer Alicia Stella has been tracking Epic Universe’s construction permits since the project was announced.
She uses a combination of county records, inside sources and theme park forums to make informed guesses about what’s happening with Epic Universe, from the theming of its lands to what rides it might offer, on her website Orlando ParkStop.
Based on her research, she believes the work that can be seen from Sand Lake Road is part of the employee-only back area of the park.
Stella said she thinks the hotel permit filed in November is for the hotel-like building featured in Epic Universe’s publicly released renderings. Universal filed a trademark for Universal’s Helios Grand Hotel last April, and she said this may be the site’s future name.
Super Nintendo World is the only land confirmed to be coming to Epic Universe. A company executive said the land would be included in the theme park during an earnings call in January 2020. Universal Studios Japan’s version of the land opened in March 2021.
In June, another executive said Epic Universe would include attractions based on Illumination and DreamWorks movies.
Attractions featuring DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda” and Illuminations’ “The Secret Life of Pets” have appeared in other Universal parks. A “Pets” ride opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in April.
Stella predicts the park will have a kid-friendly site themed to DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon,” along with a Universal Monsters-themed land and another Wizarding World of Harry Potter area.
Universal did not comment when asked about Epic Universe’s future lands.
Stella anticipates the majority of the park’s attractions, besides those in the Super Nintendo World, will likely be original — but emphasized she is merely speculating.
“I’m talking about things that we saw two years ago, and [Universal has] had some downtime, so it’s possible they could actually have changed some of the plans since then,” she said. “And that’s why I’m excited to see what they actually build and compare.”
Stella said she thinks Universal will keep quiet about Epic Universe until late 2023 or early 2024, based on previous patterns. The company announced the Universal Studios Beijing’s lands about a year before it opened last September, she said.
“We might get a lot of information and a lot of details in the year leading up to the opening,” she said. “But before that, I’m not expecting much, maybe like one more piece of concept art to tide us over.”