🔗 Share this article

Last year, actor Jude Law remarked he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for portraying Vladimir Putin in a new film. The movie, though, may align too neatly with the mythologized image promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a compliment rather than a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

For years, the Russian political apparatus and its entertainment industry have worked together to forge a tailor-made persona of Putin. This figure is an infallible strategist without age or mistakes, a former spy reimagined as a Russian James Bond who always knows more than he reveals.

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

Screen-Based Support

One recent example is a TV series released last October, directed by a pro-government filmmaker. The protagonist is a fictional blue-eyed lieutenant colonel inexplicably chosen to “save” Russia from chaos. Although the character's name Mikhail, the implication is clear: the savior must be a familiar security officer.

International depictions frequently result in buttressing this identical story rather than undercutting it. A new film inspired by a bestselling satirical novel sets out to subvert the Putin cult by presenting him as a symptom but as a symptom, moving the narrative weight to the political machinery surrounding him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

On screen, the president is shown as having been picked by influential figures to steady the country because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. They visit him and practically plead him to take the top job. He replies is that he would rather govern from the background, desiring enduring influence.

This narrative is a key piece of state propaganda: the cool, reluctant strategist guided by fate. Historically, none of this took place.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one actually pleaded with him to take the job. The position was effectively a selection process with many candidates. At the centre to this process stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who planned to control the country in practice.

• The shortlist featured various figures, including a reformer later murdered and a former spy chief.
• According to a journalist who researched his rise, the chosen candidate simply fitted the required parameters: loyal, from the intelligence world, and politically neutral.
• A businessman close to the process stated the key criterion was controllability and faithfulness, not leadership.

“The goal wasn't a strong candidate, they needed someone malleable, someone who would follow instructions.”

Building the 007 Persona

Experts agree that the notion of him as a master operative was built after the fact. Claims about his clandestine activities in Dresden fall apart under examination. In essence, he handled paperwork and routine duties, a mid-level functionary not engaged in actual agent work.

Interestingly, the move to depicting him as a “007” may in part have been inspired by Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond. The grittier version prompted Russian media and online audiences to make comparisons with Putin. Edited images swapping Craig’s face with Putin’s surfaced on city centers, fueling the growing tendency to see him as a local secret agent.

A Diplomatic Opportunity?

Given the casting, an star well-liked by viewers there, the authorities are likely to seize the opportunity to frame his casting as a minor diplomatic triumph. Its omission of public dissent, the opposition, or key figures in the story, despite covering recent years, is a welcome aspect for official messaging.

Domestically, Putin is often an all-powerful presence who never appears on screen. His influence is signaled through photographs or calls “from above”. In this new film, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that may inadvertently validate the very myths it perhaps aims to question.