Jude Law is taking on one of his most controversial roles as the 52-year-old plays Vladimir Putin in the upcoming The Wizard of the Kremlin. The film, which is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, follows the fictional story of Vadim Baranov, an artist in the Soviet Union who ends up becoming an influential government official and spin doctor at the heart of the Russian government. Although the story is fictional, it involves real people, like Putin, who has attracted criticism due to his ordering of the invasion of Ukraine and clamping down on rights within Russia.
On Wednesday, the first image from the film was released showing Jude as the Russian president. In the images, the actor can be seen with the politician's blonde hair alongside Paul Dano, who will be playing Vadim. The pair are both seen in dark coats as their characters attend what appears to be a diplomatic summit.
However, fans were divided as the images were released. Some claimed that Jude instead resembled The Hobbit star Martin Freeman instead of Putin, while others were unimpressed with the film charting Putin's rise to power due to the atrocities in Ukraine that have been carried out by Russia. "Is that Bilbo Baggins?" one fan questioned on X.
Another penned: "No one asked for a glossy 'rise to power' story for Putin when his legacy is blood, oppression, and war crimes," while a third said: "Hollywood glamorising dictators again. Dressing up Putin's rise as cinematic drama risks sanitizing the brutality behind it. Art or propaganda where's the line?" A fourth posted: "Wasn't sure what the Jude Law as Vladimir Putin makeup was gonna look like but I wasn't expecting Martin Freeman."
However, some fans were excited for the film, which is set to premiere on 31 August at the Venice Film Festival. One wrote: "This is going to be fire," while a second added: "This is going to be epic," and a third commented: "Law taking him on is a bold casting choice that made people curious before the trailer dropped."
Who stars in The Wizard of the Kremlin?
As we've mentioned, Fantastic Beasts star Jude Law will be taking on the role of Vladimir Putin, while Paul Dano is playing the fictional Vadim Baranov. Paul, 41, is known for playing the iconic Batman villain The Riddler in the 2022 film, and he previously won an Emmy Award for his role as a convicted murderer in the miniseries Escape at Dannemora.
The pair will be joined by Alicia Vikander, who has played the legendary video game character Lara Croft in the 2018 Tomb Raider and won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl. She will be playing Ksenia, another fictional character. Tom Sturridge (The Sandman) and Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale) have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
What is The Wizard of the Kremlin based on?
The Wizard of the Kremlin is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Italian-Swiss author Giuliano da Empoli. The text won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, a French literary competition as it tells the story of the author meeting with the imagined Vadim, a former artist and reality television producer who contributed heavily to Vladimir Putin's rise to power.
Vadim is believed to be based on Vladislav Surkov, a Russian politician and former theatre director who served as the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia between 1999 and 2011. He has been nicknamed the "grey cardinal" and played a key role in shaping Russia's domestic policy strategy during his time in office.