Universal Announces New King Kong Theme Park Ride ‘Skull Island: Reign of Kong’

The fact that Universal Studios has been constructing a brand new King Kong attraction at their Florida-based Islands of Adventure theme park has been a poorly kept secret for a long time now. Still, the official reveal of Skull Island: Reign of Kong is surely going to grab the interest of film fans and theme park enthusiasts alike. No company is as good at designing truly cinematic and technologically groundbreaking rides as Universal, and the announcement video is going to turn a lot of heads.

While Islands of Adventure is best known for the (genuinely mindblowing) Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it is also home to other themed “lands” built around everything from Marvel to Dr. Seuss. Skull Island: Reign of Kong is being tucked into a new zone on the border of the park’s Jurassic Park section, which is about as thematically synergistic as theme park layouts can get. Although the exact details of the ride aren’t known, photos from the location have showcased a massive temple being built and Universal’s official blog post promises a pretty crazy adventure:

You’ll navigate perilous jungles, explore ancient temple structures and encounter hostile natives – and that’s only the beginning. Throughout the rest of your excursion, you’ll brave foreboding caves crawling with prehistoric creatures, fend off unspeakable terrors – and even come face-to-face with the colossal Kong himself.

As fans will surely tell you, Universal Studios used to have another King Kong attraction, but the beloved (and very, very dated) Kongfrontation closed over a decade ago to make way for the Revenge of the Mummy attraction. So a new Kong ride of any kind is going to please nostalgic fans and newer thrill-seekers alike...and it’s going to provide plenty of great advertising for the upcoming Kong: Skull Island, which is set to hit theaters on March 10, 2017. We see what you did there, Universal. Very clever of you.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong is expected to start running in the summer of 2016.

Check out our gallery of theme park rides that were never made: