There are casting announcements that make perfect sense, and then there are casting announcements that make you do a double-take so violent you pull a muscle. Jude Law playing Vladimir Putin falls firmly into the second category, and the new poster for The Wizard of the Kremlin confirms that this is not a drill. The British heartthrob who once played the Pope is now embodying the Russian president, and the result is somehow both mesmerizing and deeply uncomfortable.
Olivier Assayas’ political thriller, based on Giuliano da Empoli’s 2022 novel, follows Vadim Baranov—a fictional spin doctor inspired by real-life Kremlin strategist Vladislav Surkov—as he helps a young KGB agent named Vladimir Putin rise to power in the chaos of post-Soviet Russia. Paul Dano plays Baranov with the kind of intense, wide-eyed commitment he brings to every role, but let’s be honest: everyone is here to see Jude Law as Putin.
The poster features Law in full transformation—sandy-blonde wig, steely expression, and the kind of dead-eyed intensity that suggests he’s spent months studying footage of a man who gives very little away. At the Venice press conference, Law admitted there was a danger of becoming “obsessive” in his research. “When I start going down that rabbit hole, it becomes obsessive; you’re looking for more, newer material,” he said. He referenced Putin’s nickname, “the man with no face,” and described the challenge of trying to show very little while feeling an awful lot from within.
The film itself is a fascinating hybrid—part political thriller, part dark comedy, part historical fiction with enough disclaimers to keep the lawyers happy. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2025, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion, and has since generated the kind of mixed reviews that suggest it’s either a misunderstood masterpiece or an overwrought mess, depending on who you ask. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 52%, with critics calling it a “dryly witty yet overwrought slow burner” that can’t overcome thin characters and sluggish pacing. But even the negative reviews acknowledge that Law and Dano give ace performances.
What makes The Wizard of the Kremlin compelling is its timeliness. Released as the war in Ukraine continues and Putin’s grip on power remains absolute, the film attempts to explain how a former KGB agent became one of the most consequential figures of the 21st century. It does this not through straightforward biography but through the eyes of Baranov, an artist-turned-propagandist who shapes the new Russia while blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, belief and manipulation.
The supporting cast is stacked with talent. Alicia Vikander plays Ksenia, Baranov’s wife who oscillates between bohemian freedom and the seduction of wealth. Will Keen plays Boris Berezovsky, the real-life oligarch who helped install Putin before becoming his exiled critic. Jeffrey Wright appears as a journalist who narrates the film from the present day, interviewing a retired Baranov about the regime he helped build.
Assayas, who previously directed Carlos about the terrorist Carlos the Jackal, brings his crisp grasp of political events to the material. He co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Carrère, and the result is a film that feels less like a biopic and more like a horror story about how democracies die—not with a bang, but with focus groups and reality television.
The poster, with Law’s Putin staring out like a predator sizing up prey, promises a film that won’t flinch from the darkness of its subject. Whether audiences are ready to spend two and a half hours with this particular wizard remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Jude Law has never been afraid to take risks, and this might be his riskiest transformation yet.
See the transformation—catch The Wizard of the Kremlin in theaters and witness Jude Law’s chilling take on one of the most powerful men in the world.
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