Jude Law Channels Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin at Venice
Jude Law debuted his portrayal of Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin during its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, anchoring a politically charged competition title with a coolly controlled performance and heavy prosthetics.
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Law’s transformation is the headline, but the film’s engine is strategy and spin. Adapted from Giuliano da Empoli’s bestselling novel, the story centers on a fictional political operator named Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano, who is modeled on real Kremlin strategist Vladislav Surkov. The timeline stretches from the chaotic early 1990s to 2014, mapping the architecture of a modern power system and the media theater that sustains it. As Law put it during press remarks, he felt shielded by Assayas’ approach, noting, “I felt safe in the hands of Olivier. This is a story that was going to be told intelligently with nuance and consideration. We were not looking for controversy for controversy’s sake.” He added that his Putin is one part of a larger mosaic, not an attempt “to define anything about anyone.”
Assayas, making his English-language feature debut after acclaimed works like Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper, frames the drama as a study in political illusion. “The film is very much about how modern politics, 21st century politics were invented,” he said, arguing that today’s climate is frightening both for what it is and because no clear counter has emerged. His director’s statement underscores the thesis, calling the work a reflection on politics and the smoke screens that conceal it, cynical, deceptive, and toxic. Those statements align with the book’s core ideas and with context from festival program notes, and they carry added resonance given the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year according to widely reported timelines and international briefings.
Dano’s Baranov narrates much of the film, positioning himself as the wizard in the shadows who shapes events from behind the curtain. “The wizard is the person who is in the background, so there is a casting of a spell that is happening,” Dano said. That framing echoes the public profile of Surkov, who served in high-level Kremlin roles and resigned as deputy prime minister in 2013, and who has often been credited in political analysis with engineering a tightly managed media and party system. The casting choice and narrative structure suggest Assayas is less interested in biopic beats and more in a forensic account of how power manufactures consent.
Alicia Vikander adds a counterweight as Baranov’s on and off partner, a character Assayas says was designed to embody freedom and moral clarity within a world of strategy sessions and backroom deals. “This is a story about a lot of men talking in rooms,” Vikander acknowledged, before noting the need to show the women who inhabit and challenge those spaces. Production took place in Latvia because filming in Russia was not feasible, a decision that matches current industry realities and logistical constraints reported by multiple productions working on contemporary Russian themes.
For Law, the choice to step into Putin’s persona, however filtered through fiction, arrives at a delicate moment. He said he did not approach the role naively and did not fear repercussions, emphasizing that the film’s intent was analysis rather than provocation. That message is consistent across festival interviews and the source material’s tone, which was written before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 yet remains, as author da Empoli said, “still relevant today,” albeit under different circumstances.
Strategically, Venice gives the film a global megaphone. The Wizard of the Kremlin is competing for top prizes alongside titles such as Frankenstein, Bugonia, The Voice of Hind Rajab, La Grazia, and No Other Choice, with awards set to be announced on September 6. Assayas is a familiar festival presence, and an English-language premiere with marquee stars positions the movie well for acquisitions, though there is no North American release date yet. If critics respond to Law’s calibrated portrayal and Dano’s quietly unsettling narration, the project could ride Venice buzz into fall festivals and awards chatter.
Beyond the red carpet optics, the film’s relevance is clear. It arrives as ceasefire efforts and broader peace talks remain stalled, and as European security debates continue to dominate political agendas. Assayas’ interest in the ways images, messages, and misinformation move through modern systems could turn the film into both a conversation piece and a case study, especially in media literacy and political communication circles. Expect heated reactions across regions given the subject matter, but also measured interest from distributors seeking prestige fare that sparks debate.
Bottom line, this is not a cradle-to-Kremlin biopic. It is a procedural about influence, told through the confidant who can narrate both the build and the bill. Keep an eye on juried awards and critical consensus through festival close, then watch for a distribution deal announcement. That wraps up today’s analysis, and the next data point lands with the Venice verdict on September 6.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, La Biennale di Venezia press materials, Publisher statements for Giuliano da Empoli’s novel, International wire services on Ukraine conflict timelines
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