Move over, Disneyland: Universal Studios Hollywood is about to get something that will put the Mouse House to shame — a year-round attraction based on The Walking Dead TV show and comic books.
Chris Hardwick, host of The Talking Dead, announced the "state of the art" attraction on the talk show Sunday night.
However, the attraction isn't really a new one: every year, Universal Studios transforms its theme park into Halloween Horror Nights, and over the past few years, that event has included The Walking Dead maze, where fans walk through a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world as they try to find their way out.
However, Universal Studios promises that the plan is to amp up the maze, making it a "no-holds-barred experience" that's more intense than the Halloween version. The theme park plans on adding a variety of new features, including new tech that will make guests scream in both horror and joy. The park plans on working with The Walking Dead visual effects artist Greg Nicotero to make it as realistic as possible.
Universal Studios also released a teaser to show off its concept for the attraction:
The Walking Dead maze comes just after the completion of Universal Studios Hollywood's Harry Potter addition, which opens in April, meaning that the park not only plans on grabbing families to compete with Disneyland, but also more mature visitors with gorier interests — and let's face it: there's nothing gorier than The Walking Dead.
"We're trying to be cross-generational," Larry Kurzweil, president of Universal Studios Hollywood, said in a phone interview with the New York Times. "This is going to be a once-anywhere, immersive attraction that takes it truly over the top."
Fans of The Walking Dead can expect to immerse themselves in that world at Universal Studios Hollywood soon, too: the theme park plans on opening the attraction this summer.
So, what about Universal Studios Florida? The East Coast theme park hasn't yet announced plans for an attraction based on The Walking Dead, but according to the L.A. Times, Sally Corp. recently introduced a new attraction at a trade show in Orlando that was an interactive 3D shooter dark ride with special effects. Many in the industry felt, at the time, that such a ride was a perfect fit for Orlando's location.
