There have not been very many onscreen depictions of Vladimir Putin, perhaps in part because he is still Russia’s leader, and so the story of his reign is not yet over. In a recent interview with Deadline, though, Jude Law revealed that he’ll be playing the Russian leader during the first part of his governing career in Olivier Assayas’s new film, The Wizard of the Kremlin.
“I say that hesitatingly because I haven’t really started work on it yet,” Law explained. “I mean, I have, but at the moment, it looks like an Everest to climb, so I’m in the foothills looking up thinking, ‘Oh Christ, what have I said?'”
Law continued by saying that he often feels intimidated by roles early on: “That’s often how I feel whilst I say yes. I was going, ‘Oh God, how am I going to do this?’ But anyway, that’s for me to sort out.”
The news that Law had been cast in the film was first announced in the spring of 2024, but there was no word on who he would play at the time. The film is an adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s novel of the same name and follows a young filmmaker who unexpectedly becomes an advisor to Putin as Putin rises through the ranks of the Russian government.
In addition to Law, the film will also star Zach Galafanakis, Alicia Vikander, and Tom Sturridge. We have no word yet on when the film might be released, but based on Law’s comments, it sounds like the film is still in fairly early stages.
