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 Brothers and Universal studios plan to take fans of the schoolboy magician on another (expensive) adventure with the creation of a billion-dollar park in Orlando, Florida.

The film-makers believe that 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.

Pictures published for the first time in The Times today offer the first glimpse of The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, which will be part of Universal Studios’ exisiting 787-acre theme-park site Construction work will begin within weeks to recreate Hogwarts Castle and the snow-co-vered Hogsmeade village in intricate detail. The park, to be officially announced today, 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 already Britain’s 13th richest woman, another multimillion-pound income from planned profits.

Rowling has been involved in the project from the beginning. She said yesterday: “The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.”

There are plans for visitors to wander through a lifesize Hogwarts Castle, encountering some of the characters and seeing “magic” recreated in front of them. There will also be Forbidden Forest and the village of Hogsmeade, home to wizards and magical creatures, with its steep roofed slate-and-stone buildings and eccentric 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 immer-sive” experiences that will recreate the magic of Rowling’s imagination with “extraordinary illusions”.

Computerised special effects will conjure up figures that look like real people but which can apparently disappear into thin air in a flash.

Scott Trowbridge, vice-presi-dent 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. In the movies, it is done with strings or computer-generated imagery after the fact. We’re creating a place where magic happens as a de facto way of life.”

The Potter park is being designed by a largely British team of 20 artists, draughtsmen and modelmakers headed by the production designer Stuart Craig, whose Oscar-nominated films include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

He said: “Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Potter’s world as it is portrayed in the books and films. Visitors will feel what it’s like to be in the midst of that world, in the midst of those adventures.”

Barry Meyer, chairman of Warner Brothers Entertainment, said: “Over the years, we have received thousands of letters from fans wishing they could visit Hogwarts and the wonderful locations described in each of J.K. Rowling’s beloved stories. We are confident that we’ll be able to provide an incredible experience.”

The secret formula that prints a fortune

J. K. Rowling is the bestselling author ever, with more than 320 million book sales to her name. The only authors who come close are Enid Blyton and Dr Seuss, who have each sold an estimated 100 million books

Rowling finished her latest book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, on January 11 in room 652 of the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh

Bookshops expect to sell 2 million copies of the next Harry Potter book in the first 24 hours of its publication. Rowling holds the record for fastest selling book in Britain, previously held by D. H. Lawrence for the uncensored edition of Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Pre-orders for the final Harry Potter book on Amazon, the online retailer, are 250,000 in Britain and 620,000 in America

The model railway company Hornby credited a 45 per cent increase in profits in 2003 to sales of the Harry Potter-themed Hogwarts Express

The Hogwarts Express locomotive shown in the Harry Potter films is a 1937 4-6-0 Hall class steam engine, originally named “Olton Hall”

King’s Cross station was considered too ugly for the Harry Potter films and shots of St Pancras were used instead

Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last book in the series, will be published on July 21

Explore Books

• Book Extracts

• Book Reviews

• Books Group

• Audio Books

Times Recommends

• Superfreakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner
• The Times picks the 50 best paperbacks of 2009
• Vincent van Gogh’s letters show the soul of the artist