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Last year, actor Jude Law stated he had no concerns about backlash for portraying Vladimir Putin in a cinematic adaptation. The movie, however, may align too neatly with the mythologized version promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it reads as a compliment rather than a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

For years, the Kremlin and its pop-culture machine have worked together to forge a tailor-made version of Putin. This figure is an infallible strategist devoid of flaws, a former spy reframed as a local 007 who consistently understands more than he reveals.

“Domestically, the constructed Putin has long overshadowed the actual person.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

One recent example is a television show launched last October, directed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a fictional blue-eyed lieutenant colonel selected by fate to “rescue” Russia from disorder. Although the character's name Mikhail, the message is unmistakable: the hero must be a familiar security officer.

International depictions often end up reinforcing this same narrative instead of debunking it. An adaptation based on a popular book aims to subvert the Putin cult by presenting him not as a cause but as a consequence, shifting the focus to the spin doctors surrounding him.

The Fable of the Hesitant President

On screen, Putin is shown as having been picked by influential figures to stabilise the country because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. They visit him and practically plead him to become president. He replies is that he would prefer to rule from the shadows, desiring permanent power.

This tale is the Kremlin’s export myth: the detached, unwilling mastermind guided by fate. In reality, these events took place.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one ever begged Putin to take the job. The position was in essence a casting call with many contenders. Central to this process stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who planned to control the state de facto.

• His list included various figures, including a reformer later murdered and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who studied his rise, the future president simply fitted the necessary criteria: obedient, from the intelligence world, and not a communist or a liberal.
• A businessman close to the process said the key criterion was controllability and faithfulness, not leadership.

“They didn’t need a powerful leader, they needed someone malleable, someone who would obey orders.”

Building the 007 Persona

Analysts concur that the image of him as a master operative was built after the fact. Stories about his “recruitment work” in East Germany fall apart under examination. Fundamentally, he was an administrator and routine duties, a low-level clerk not engaged in actual agent work.

Curiously, the move to framing him as a “007” could partly have been inspired by the actor's debut as 007. His harder interpretation prompted local outlets and online audiences to make comparisons with Putin. Edited images swapping the actor's likeness with Putin’s surfaced on city centers, feeding the increasing trend to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Diplomatic Opportunity?

With Jude Law, an star well-liked by Russian audiences, the Kremlin will not miss the opportunity to portray this choice as a minor diplomatic triumph. Its exclusion of mass protests, the political rivals, or key figures in the story, even though it includes recent years, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

Domestically, Putin is often an omnipotent figure who never appears directly. His influence is signaled through photographs or orders from on high. In this new film, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that may inadvertently echo the exact legends it perhaps aims to question.