Transitioning from the courtroom to the cameras, Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett has valiantly made the decision to drop her judicial career in order to pursue her true passion: becoming a Hollywood celebrity. In fact, her career already seems to be glowing. In a recent interview with the Warner Brothers, Ann Sarnoff, head of the studio, heavily implied that a new remake of Harry Potter is on its way. “We specifically thought of Amy for this remake,” Ann mentioned, “she has a certain flare about her that would be even more insightful than Imelda Staunton herself!” She continued to discuss the character Barrett would portray and the pitch for the movie: “we wanted to focus solely on Amy’s character – even writing it from her point of view – and Umbridge was a revolutionary character whom Amy foremost represents.” One could even say that the resemblance is absolutely uncanny. 

Umbridge is most known for her exquisite taste in jewelry, vibrant wardrobe, and most impressionable of all, sadistic tendencies. Although being more famously known as “toad like” (in the words of Rowling herself), Umbridge more seems to represent that of a savior figure, even claiming to have decreased wizard teenage pregnancies by fifty percent. Despite the fact that these rates were zero prior to her oncoming, the achievement is spectacular nonetheless. Thus, we can see here how Amy perfectly aligns with not only the appearance of but also the ideologies of Umbridge. 

The screenwriter of this new remake has also called in other extremely successful authors and screenwriters to help with the production of the movie. One of these talented authors is Margaret Atwood. In an interview with Atwood, she commented on the production of the movie and Amy’s appearance explaining that “I can see Amy in the authoritarian characters in my most famous novel, and thus the connection between her and Umbridge is seamless.” Atwood and Barrett are also longtime friends. In fact, Barrett’s association to a certain group was the main inspiration behind Atwood’s novel. This long term connection will definitely aid the filming and writing process, and it is wonderful to see valuable connections between cast and crew members that will allow for a collaborative environment. Atwood hopes to even incorporate some of her characters into the remake, stating that “I believe that we can sort of create this Harry Potter movie with elements of The Handmaid’s Tale. The Republic of Gilead (the oppressive government in the novel) can be a representation of Umbridge herself as well as her associations with the opposing force to the protagonist order.” 

Atwood additionally hopes that she can contribute to the character’s costumes, aspiring to replace the plain black female student robes with a more vibrant red color as well as fashionable white bonnets. This costume would be distributed only to fame students in order to fully represent their significance throughout Umbridge’s schooling in Hogwarts. 

Regarding the set, although the original was filmed in the beautiful rolling hills of European countries, Barrett was ecstatic to announce that it would be filmed in the “greatest nation in the world” – America. Barrett further emphasized that the decision to film in America was “definitely not because America was banned from traveling to other European countries due to skyrocketing Coronavirus cases.” She instead insisted that she wanted to act her role in, to quote her presidential advisor, “the most advanced and great country to ever exist.” And even though the original countries came closest to first in education, healthcare, safety and happiness, America is apparently still the greatest country. This aspect can be compared to Voldemort’s obsession with blood purity and claims that pure bloods (those with two wizard born parents) are far superior and the reason why the wizarding world is great. 

Fans and viewers of the Harry Potter franchise continue to wait in anticipation for a statement from Amy herself on the production. After declining several interview opportunities, one can see how Amy is attempting to create suspense and excitement regarding the film. In fact, during the only interview with Amy where footage was released, she declined almost every single question, stating that it was “her right to not answer.” We can see here her judicial tendencies residing in her public relations work. However, maybe one day fans will know her answer to the ongoing question regarding the film: “What are the five freedoms of the first amendment within the wizarding war?” We’ve certainly never seen that extremely complicated question before, so it’s no wonder why she couldn’t fully answer the question.