Universal Orlando Resort has an unexpected problem on its hands at Islands of Adventure.Skull Island: Reign of Kong has been sitting closed for weeks, and Universal still hasn’t given guests a clear explanation for what is happening behind the scenes. There is no announced reopening date, either.The situation becomes even more interesting because of what reportedly happened inside the attraction.An unconfirmed rumor claims the enormous King Kong animatronic at the end of the ride caught fire while crews were performing repairs. Universal has not confirmed that incident, and there is currently no documentation showing exactly what happened or how much damage the figure may have sustained.Credit: UniversalStill, the prolonged shutdown raises an obvious question: What does Universal do with Skull Island if the Kong figure requires significant work?Several possible paths are emerging, and some would be much more controversial than others.Skull Island: Reign of Kong Has Faced Its Share of IssuesSkull Island: Reign of Kong opened at Islands of Adventure on July 13, 2016, bringing another major franchise to the park.The attraction sends guests aboard massive trackless expedition vehicles into the world of Skull Island. Unlike a traditional dark ride built primarily around physical sets and figures, Reign of Kong mixes practical environments with large projection screens and animatronics.That design has always made the attraction somewhat divisive.The lengthy screen sequences haven’t won over everyone, particularly at a park filled with major physical attractions. The ride also originally included an outdoor portion, but Universal stopped regularly using that section years ago.However, the attraction has one physical element that has remained difficult to ignore.King Kong himself.Guests encounter the massive Kong animatronic near the end of the experience. Universal previously described the figure as roughly three stories tall and 18 feet across at the shoulders, with a head larger than a car.That finale gives the attraction something its screen-heavy middle portion doesn’t have: a huge physical character standing only feet away from guests.Now, that may be the part causing Universal its biggest headache.Universal Hasn’t Explained the Extended ClosureAs of September 13, Skull Island: Reign of Kong had experienced a persistent closure lasting several weeks. Universal had not announced a reopening date or publicly identified the reason for the downtime.That’s where the reported Kong incident enters the picture.According to an unverified report circulating among Universal Orlando fans, crews had been repairing the Kong animatronic when it allegedly caught fire. Similar claims subsequently appeared online, but no identifiable source or supporting documentation has surfaced.For now, the fire claim needs to remain firmly in rumor territory.Universal hasn’t confirmed a fire, hasn’t disclosed whether the Kong animatronic suffered damage, and hasn’t announced plans to permanently close the attraction.But if the giant figure does require extensive repairs, Universal could have several choices to make.Credit: UniversalOption 1: Repair or Replace King KongThe least disruptive solution would also be the one many fans would probably prefer.Universal could repair the existing Kong animatronic or replace the figure with another physical version of the character.There’s reason to believe that could be a significant undertaking.This isn’t a small figure that Universal can easily remove and swap overnight. Kong’s enormous size and mechanical complexity could make extensive repairs difficult, particularly if major internal components suffered damage.Still, preserving the animatronic would allow Universal to maintain the attraction largely as guests know it.Considering how much of Reign of Kong already relies on screens, keeping its giant physical finale feels especially important.But there’s another option.And it could prove far less popular.Option 2: Replace Kong With Another ScreenUniversal could theoretically remove the physical Kong figure and replace the finale with a projection-based scene.From an operational standpoint, that could eliminate the need to maintain such an enormous and complicated animatronic.From a guest standpoint, however, it could become a very controversial change.Reign of Kong already relies heavily on screens. Guests spend much of the main ride sequence surrounded by projected action before eventually reaching the physical Kong figure.The animatronic is what makes the ending different.Replacing that moment with another screen could make the attraction feel even more dependent on projection technology. It would also remove one of the most impressive physical elements from the entire ride.Universal hasn’t announced that it’s considering this option. At this stage, it simply represents one possible solution if the existing Kong figure can’t easily return.There’s also a much bigger possibility.Option 3: Close Skull Island and Start OverIf Universal determines that major investment is required anyway, the company could eventually decide to replace Skull Island: Reign of Kong altogether.That would easily represent the most dramatic—and most expensive—option.It could also generate plenty of excitement among Islands of Adventure fans.Universal has dramatically changed its Orlando theme park lineup over the last several years, and replacing an attraction that opened in 2016 would give the company another opportunity to bring something new to Islands of Adventure.But removing Reign of Kong wouldn’t be a simple project.Universal would need to invest in demolition, design, construction, ride systems, theming, and potentially an entirely different intellectual property. That turns a repair problem into a major capital project.It also wouldn’t provide an immediate solution to the current closure.For those reasons, repairing Kong could remain the most practical outcome if the animatronic is indeed responsible for the extended downtime.Credit: Universal Orlando ResortWhat Happens to King Kong Now?For the moment, there are more questions than answers.Despite reports surrounding the attraction, Universal Orlando has not announced plans to permanently close or replace Skull Island: Reign of Kong.It’s entirely possible that crews repair the existing Kong figure, reopen the attraction, and this unusual closure eventually becomes little more than an extended period of downtime.But the longer Reign of Kong remains unavailable, the more attention its future will receive.Universal could repair or replace the enormous animatronic. It could take the controversial route of replacing Kong with another screen. Or, if the problems prove extensive enough, Universal could eventually decide that investing in an entirely new attraction makes more sense.For fans, that last option might sound the most exciting. For Universal, it would almost certainly come with the largest bill and longest timeline.Right now, though, none of those possibilities has been officially announced.Skull Island: Reign of Kong remains closed, Universal hasn’t provided a reopening date, and the reported incident involving its massive animatronic remains unconfirmed.Until Universal finally reveals what’s happening inside Skull Island, the fate of King Kong—and potentially the attraction built around him—remains one of the biggest unanswered questions at Islands of Adventure.The post Universal Shuts Down ‘King Kong’ Ride, Possible Replacements Emerge appeared first on Inside the Magic.