Universal Studios news stories on Newser

Japan Getting Harry Potter Park

Rob Quinn — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:24:00 CDT

Hogwarts is coming to Honshu. Universal Studios is planning to open a Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Osaka by late 2014, reports the Guardian . The park, like the one in Orlando and the one under construction in Hollywood, will feature rides, a Hogwarts castle, and a Hogsmeade...

Man Stabs Fellow Comic-Con Attendee With Pen: Cops

M. Morris — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:25:00 CDT

A dispute before a Comic-Con panel discussion ended with one attendee in police custody and another in the hospital being treated for a stab wound near the eye, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The alleged assailant was armed with a pen and wearing—look away, kids—a Harry Potter T-shirt....

Terror Patrols Beefed Up at Hollywood Studios

Rob Quinn — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:58:48 CDT

Police have stepped up patrols at entertainment studios in the Los Angeles area following the weekend's attempted car bombing in Times Square. Law enforcement officials say that while they aren't aware of any new threats, they are remaining vigilant at sites linked to Comedy Central owners Viacom, which some suspect...

King Near Movie, TV Deal for Dark Tower

Kevin Spak — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:40:00 CDT

Roland Deschain may soon be gunslinging his way onto screens big and small. Stephen King is in talks to turn his Dark Tower books into a TV series and a movie trilogy directed by Ron Howard, Deadline New York reports. Both Universal's Imagine Entertainment and Warner Bros.' Weed Road...

Drunk Dad Ditches Baby to Find Drunk Mom

Harry Kimball — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:13:54 CDT

A Florida man has been charged with child neglect after he—while drunk—left his 4-month-old daughter in her stroller in some bushes at the Universal Studios parking lot while he searched for the girl's drunken mother. The infant was alone for 2 hours before a park employee found her,...

Comcast Confirms NBC Buy

Rob Quinn — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:55:11 CST

Comcast has confirmed its deal to buy a controlling share of NBC Universal from GE to create one of the world's biggest entertainment firms. Comcast will pay $13.75 billion in cash and assets for a 51% stake in NBC, the AP reports. The nation's largest cable TV operator will...

Harry Potter Park Opens This Spring

Matt Cantor — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:12:33 CDT

Get your wands ready: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens next spring, Universal Orlando announced. Muggles will enter through the village of Hogsmeade, where they’ll visit Hogsmeade station, Zonko’s joke shop, and the Three Broomsticks pub to sample some butterbeer. But the main event, called Harry Potter and the...

Funny People Puts Serious Pressure on Sandler

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:22:02 CDT

Though it’s called Funny People , Adam Sandler’s latest film is a bit more serious than his fans are used to—and its opening-weekend performance is a mystery, Variety reports. Forecasts range from just over $20 million to more like $35 million, Audiences loved director Judd Apatow’s prior efforts—which were...

Universal Turning Atari's '70s Asteroids Game Into Movie

Rob Quinn — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:30:01 CDT

Universal Studios has shot down three rivals to win the movie rights to the classic '70s Atari game Asteroids , reports the Hollywood Reporter . Matt Lopez, writer of Disney's Bedtime Stories , has been tasked with turning the game's story of a spaceship firing at crudely drawn rocks and the occasional flying...