YOU'VE read the books, seen the films and bought the CD. But just when you thought there were no other ways for the Harry Potter brand to squeeze money out of you, along comes the theme park.
Warner Bros and Universal studios plan to take fans of the schoolboy magician on another (expensive) adventure with the creation of a $US1 billion ($1.
22 billion) park in Orlando, Florida.
The filmmakers say they can recreate the dream of every child reader, and probably a few million adults too, who have imagined themselves flying in a game of Quidditch or walking into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a lesson in spells rather than spelling.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be part of Universal Studios' existing 320-hectare theme-park site, with construction to begin within weeks to recreate Hogwarts Castle and the snow-covered Hogsmeade village.
The park is expected to open in 2009 - long after the seventh and final Harry Potter film has been released.
It will also give J.K.
Rowling, author of the books and Britain's 13th richest woman, another multi-million-pound income stream.
Ms Rowling has been involved in the project from the beginning.
The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed, she said.
There are plans for visitors to wander through a life-size Hogwarts Castle, encountering characters and seeing magic recreated in front of them.
There will be Forbidden Forest and the village of Hogsmeade, home to wizards and magical creatures, with its steep-roofed slate-and-stone buildings and shops selling broomsticks, cauldrons, wands and magic potions.
The Hogwarts Express will be steaming away at the rail station.
In the kind of phrases so beloved of publicists, the creators of the park offer state-of-the-art innovations that promise to take roller-coaster rides to new heights , with fully immersive experiences that will recreate the magic of Ms Rowling's imagination with extraordinary illusions .
Computerised special effects will conjure up figures that look like people but which can disappear in a flash.
Scott Trowbridge, vice-president of Universal Creative Studios, said: This will allow people to have an experience unlike one they have been able to imagine before.
What we're creating is an entire world. A place where magic happens ..
. a place where magic happens as a de facto way of life.
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