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Last year, star Jude Law remarked he had no concerns about backlash for playing Vladimir Putin in a new film. This production, though, could coincide too neatly with the mythologized version circulated by Russian state media that, within Russia, it reads as a endorsement rather than a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

For years, the Kremlin and the country's pop-culture machine have collaborated to craft a made-to-measure version of Putin. This character is an infallible strategist devoid of flaws, an ex-intelligence officer reimagined as a local 007 who consistently understands more than he reveals.

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

Cinematic Reinforcement

A notable instance is a television show launched last fall, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a fictional security officer inexplicably chosen to “rescue” Russia from disorder. Although he is called a different name, the implication is unmistakable: the savior must be a known figure from the secret services.

Western portrayals often end up reinforcing this identical story rather than undercutting it. An adaptation based on a popular book aims to undermine the Putin cult by presenting him as a symptom but as a symptom, shifting the narrative weight to the spin doctors around him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

In the film, Putin is shown as having been picked by powerful oligarchs to steady the country because he is “young, athletic and a spy”. The oligarchs approach him and practically plead him to take the top job. He replies is that he would prefer to rule from the shadows, seeking enduring influence.

This tale is the Kremlin’s export myth: the detached, unwilling mastermind guided by fate. In reality, none of this took place.

The Truth Behind the Selection

No one ever begged him to accept the role. The presidency was in essence a casting call with no shortage of candidates. At the centre to this process stood an influential oligarch from the previous administration who expected to run the state in practice.

• The shortlist featured various figures, including an opposition leader subsequently assassinated and a security service director.
• According to an expert who researched his rise, the chosen candidate simply fitted the necessary criteria: obedient, from the intelligence world, and not a communist or a liberal.
• A property developer close to the events stated the primary requirement was controllability and faithfulness, not leadership.

“They didn’t need a strong candidate, they needed someone malleable, someone who would follow instructions.”

Building the 007 Persona

Experts agree that the notion of Putin as a master operative was constructed retrospectively. Stories about his clandestine activities in East Germany do not stand up to scrutiny. In essence, he was an administrator and technical tasks, a low-level clerk not involved with field operations.

Interestingly, the shift to framing him as a “spy” may in part have been inspired by the actor's arrival as James Bond. His harder interpretation prompted local outlets and social media to draw visual parallels with Putin. Mashup posters swapping Craig’s face with Putin’s surfaced on city centers, feeding the growing tendency to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an actor popular with viewers there, the Kremlin are likely to seize the chance to frame his casting as a small victory. Its exclusion of public dissent, the political rivals, or key figures in the story, despite covering recent years, is a pleasant bonus for official messaging.

Domestically, the president is frequently an omnipotent figure who remains unseen on screen. His influence is hinted at through portraits 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 might seek to examine.