began working on the ride's concept. Universal was already working on the design for its backlot tram tour attraction in Florida, which would include multiple scenes depicted at the Hollywood location. In 1987, Disney CEO Michael Eisner, previously the CEO at Paramount when Universal pitched their Florida park idea several years earlier, announced intentions to create their own studio backlot tour at Walt Disney World. The new area, to be called Disney-MGM Studios, was a preemptive move to counter Universal's planned introduction into the Orlando market. Although Universal publicly announced their Florida park intentions prior to Eisner's announcement, Disney was in a better position to fast-track construction and open sooner. This forced Universal to rethink their approach and abandon the tram tour concept. Instead, they opted to build standalone attractions while retaining the overall studio backlot theme. Their projected opening day lineup would include Kongfrontation, Jaws, and the Spielberg and Alexander collaborative project, Back to the Future: The Ride. A large theme park with separate attractions was a new concept for Universal, and their creative team ran into multiple obstacles during development and testing. Among the casualties from the early troubles was the Back to the Future ride, which had its opening delayed by nearly a year. The park was built for an estimated $630 million, with 50% ownership in the hands of MCA Universal and 50% belonging to leisure company The Rank Organisation. While under the ownership of Seagram, MCA Universal would again partner with The Rank Group (corporate successor to The Rank Organisation) a decade later in the $2.5 billion major expansion of Universal Studios Florida. The expansion included the addition of Universal's Islands of Adventure, Universal CityWalk, and several hotels. In 2000, The Rank Group sold its 50% stake to Blackstone Capital Partners for $275 million, who in turn sold it to NBCUniversal for $3.165 billion, giving the company 100% ownership of the resort. Development Many of the attractions over the years were developed in close collaboration with directors, producers and actors from the films on which they were based. In many cases, actors reprised their roles, contributing new dialogue and footage to fill pre-show queues and action sequences within the attraction itself. Examples include Rip Torn and Will Smith for Men in Black: Alien Attack, Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo for Revenge of the Mummy, and multiple members of The Simpsons cast for The Simpsons Ride.