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Last year, star Jude Law remarked he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for playing the Russian leader in a cinematic adaptation. This production, however, could coincide so closely with the carefully constructed image promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it reads as a endorsement rather than a challenge.

The Crafted Superhero

For years, the Kremlin and its pop-culture machine have collaborated to forge a made-to-measure persona of Putin. This figure is an infallible strategist devoid of flaws, a former spy reframed as a local 007 who consistently understands beyond what he shows.

“Domestically, the constructed Putin has long overshadowed the real one.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

A notable instance is a TV series released last fall, directed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a fictional security officer inexplicably chosen to “save” Russia from chaos. While the character's name Mikhail, the message is unmistakable: the hero must be a familiar security officer.

Western portrayals frequently result in buttressing this same narrative instead of debunking it. An adaptation inspired by a bestselling satirical novel sets out to undermine the leader's mythology by framing him as a symptom but as a consequence, shifting the narrative weight to the political machinery around him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

On screen, the president is shown as having been picked by powerful oligarchs to steady the nation because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. The oligarchs approach him and all but beg him to become president. He replies is that he would rather govern from the shadows, desiring enduring influence.

This tale is a key piece of state propaganda: the detached, unwilling mastermind shaped by destiny. In reality, these events ever happened.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one actually pleaded with him to accept the role. The position was in essence a selection process with no shortage of contenders. At the centre to the selection stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who planned to control the country de facto.

• The shortlist included several politicians, among them a reformer later murdered and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who researched Putin’s biography, the future president merely met the required parameters: obedient, from the security services, and politically neutral.
• A businessman familiar with the process stated the primary requirement was controllability and loyalty, not leadership.

“They didn’t need a powerful leader, they needed someone malleable, someone who would obey orders.”

Constructing the Spy Legend

Experts agree that the image of Putin as a powerful KGB spy was built after the fact. Stories about his “recruitment work” in Dresden do not stand up to scrutiny. Fundamentally, he handled paperwork and technical tasks, a mid-level functionary not engaged in field operations.

Interestingly, the shift to depicting him as a “spy” may in part have been inspired by Daniel Craig’s arrival as 007. The grittier version led Russian media and social media to make comparisons with Putin. Mashup posters swapping Craig’s face with Putin’s appeared on Moscow streets, feeding the increasing trend to see him as a Russian 007.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an actor popular with Russian audiences, the Kremlin will not miss the opportunity to frame his casting as a minor diplomatic triumph. Its exclusion of mass protests, the opposition, or key figures in the story, even though it includes recent years, is a pleasant bonus for state propaganda.

Domestically, Putin is frequently an omnipotent figure who remains unseen on screen. His influence is signaled through portraits or calls “from above”. In this new film, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that could unintentionally echo the exact legends it perhaps aims to examine.