First Look at Dark Arts Expansion at WB Studio Tour

Readers may recall that the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London will be receiving its first permanent addition since it opened in 2012. This addition will focus on the Dark Arts and includes an expansion of Malfoy Manor, a model of Nagini, props from Borgin and Burkes, and a model of Umbridge’s office along with her costumes:

Previously not much more than a fireplace, the Malfoy Mansion set has had a serious revamp. The huge fireplace is lit up, with two vast chandeliers casting shadows over a number of unpleasant additions. Suspended above the table is the film’s model of Charity Burbage, the unlucky Hogwarts professor (uncanny, down to the ladders in the foot of her tights) while poised by the Death Eaters is the huge model of Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, which Bohanna and his team made specially for the exhibit.

The original latex Nagini had deteriorated, and this new model is made of hardier stuff: urethane skin and foam. “Basically what you have in your sofa cushions,” says Bohanna, “so it’s soft and easy to pose.”

The Dark Arts exhibit, like the wider tour, is a real show of imagination, creativity and talent. The Horcruxes, items where Voldemort stored parts of his soul, are displayed in a well-locked cabinet. As with many Potter props, huge numbers had to be made: 40 lockets, for example. “Jonathan, who made them, only thought he’d be making two or three. He ended up spending five months,” says Bohanna.
Stunts and close-ups present different requirements: the display version of the basilisk fang used to destroy Tom Riddle’s notebook is a rubberised one designed not to hurt if you accidentally stab yourself with it.

You can read more about the new additions here. The Dark Arts expansion opens on October 14th.