Hollywood Style Themepark heads for Dubai

Wonder Woman, King Kong and Shrek are heading for the Persian Gulf as part of what could become the world's largest theme-park playground in the United Arab Emirates.

Movie studios, however, are grappling with ways to make their signature characters and amusement parks fly in the conservative Muslim region.

Politically sensitive characters such as Captain America could be left at home. But prayer rooms will join the list of accommodations.

Investors, studios and park operators are aiming to cash in on what some observers call the Middle East's decades-long fascination with American culture.

In recent months, eight major licensing deals have been struck.

The first, a $2.2 billion Universal Studios park based on franchises such as King Kong and Jurassic Park, is set to open in an area dubbed Dubailand on Dubai's desert outskirts in 2010.