Universal is perhaps the only theme park chain able to stand up against Walt Disney. They have resorts in Hollywood, Orlando, Japan, Singapore and Beijing, with no presence in Europe since they sold their stakes in PortAventura over 20 years ago. However, that is about to change... maybe within this decade.
In late 2023, Universal announced the project of building a theme park in the United Kingdom. Tentatively known as Universal Studios Great Britain, it was announced as a proposal in Bedford, one hour and a half from London, perhaps to assess the resident's opinion while the American company worked to get licences and permits.
Over a year later, it sound like negotiations are working smoothly and it's going to be approved soon. That's according to a Bloomberg article about a Heathrow Airport Expansion that included the following quote, as spotted by fanpage Project Universal: "Other projects poised to be signed off after being delated are the Lower Thames Crossing and a Universal Studios theme park north of the capital, the people said".
It's been over a year since the project leaked and got announced, and it's been used by local politicians as a hope to boost the economy, as spotted by bloloop. The only thing missing is the official confirmation that Universal has received green light to build the project. Hopefully they get it this year, and before we know it we may start talking about construction and what IPs will Universal bring to UK and the whole European market. Harry Potter looks like a given. Jurassic World? Super Nintendo Land? Maybe something brand new like... James Bond?