No ‘Wizarding World Of Harry Potter’ for London

Organisers of Warner Bros. latest theme park, the 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' based on the popular young wizard franchise reportedly snubbed Boris Johnson's plea to have the theme park in the capital in favour of having it in Florida.

Apparently, Mayor Johnson says it would be “utterly mad” to leave it to Americans “to make money from a great British invention”.

Warner Brothers had their fingers burnt in 1997 after trying to build a £225 million movie theme park in London, only to axe the project after running into difficulties securing planning permission.

To satisfy homegrown Potter fans, Warner Bros are planning a £100 million tour at Leavesden Studio in North London – home to the film series. The studio tour is still around two years away however.

Perhaps Mayor Johnson might be better off lobbying a British company that still owns its own IP to create a London theme park. Eon still controls the rights to James Bond, and -- apart from a single 007 roller-coaster in America – doesn’t seem to have done anything much when it comes to theme parks. Or how about a BBC Doctor Who theme park, or even BSkyB and Terry Pratchett?

But Johnson hasn't given up quite yet on a Potter theme park, he's urging the film series' fans to petition Warner Bros for a second theme park.

“I appeal to the children of this country and to their Potter-fiend parents to write to Warner Bros and Universal, and perhaps, even, to the great JK herself."