Jude Law plays Putin in Olivier Assayas' The Wizard of the Kremlin, a scarce historical satire of post-Soviet Russia

In a bold and compelling move, acclaimed actor Jude Law steps into the role of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas's new historical satire, The Wizard of the Kremlin. The film promises an insight into the hazy world of post-Soviet Russia, a crucial era that molded the country's present identity. It is based on Giuliano da Empoli's novel of the same name.

The story follows Vadim Baranov, a brilliant young man who becomes the unofficial spin doctor for a rising KGB agent: Vladimir Putin. Using his artistic flair and media manipulation skills amid the chaos of the post-Soviet 1990s, Baranov becomes a key architect of the regime, blurring the lines between truth and fiction. The film premiered on August 31, 2025, at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

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Jude Law transforms into Putin in Olivier Assayas’ satirical drama

Jude Law in "The Wizard Of The Kremlin" (Le Mage Du Kremlin) Photocall (Image via Getty)

English actor Jude Law delivers a bold portrayal of Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’s The Wizard of the Kremlin, which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. His performance has been described as a "surprisingly sure-footed" and "chilly impersonation of power."

This characterization echoes similar performances in Law’s career, where he has embodied complex, often morally flawed figures. He is well known for his portrayal as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley, a character who, like Putin, draws in people with his charm.

In The Young Pope and its sequel, Jude Law plays another real-life-adjacent figure, Pope Pius XIII, a Machiavellian and controversial character who wields immense power from the shadows. These roles showcase Law’s ability to play a compelling blend of charm, cunning, and underlying menace, a skill set that seems to translate effectively to his portrayal of Putin.

Director Olivier Assayas is also renowned for creating complex stories and detailed character analyses. In a conversation with Variety, Assayas explained that he conceived The Wizard of the Kremlin as a study of the foundations of today’s political order, rather than simply a “Putin origin story.” He further added:

“I have always felt that, deep down, this question of evil and its ambiguity is something that belongs to cinema and has always belonged to cinema,” he adds, before quoting Alfred Hitchcock, “who said that the more successful the villain is, the better the film.”

Assayas further noted that viewers are “not particularly used to seeing political evil portrayed,” emphasizing that “it isn’t typically something we display—it’s something people live through and endure.” He said:

“What makes this film unique, and ultimately what fascinated me, was precisely that it showed the consequences of political evil, but also tried to portray its nature. How it works, its inner workings.”

Led by Jude Law as Putin and Paul Dano as Vadim Baranov, Olivier Assayas’s The Wizard of the Kremlin features a strong international cast and critical anticipation. Positioned as a daring political satire, the film is competing for the Golden Lion, with its official release date still to be announced.

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