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Last year, actor Jude Law remarked he had no concerns about backlash for portraying Vladimir Putin in a new film. This production, though, may align too neatly with the mythologized version promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a endorsement rather than a challenge.

The Crafted Superhero

Over a long period, the Kremlin and its entertainment industry have worked together to forge a tailor-made version of the president. This character is a political superhero devoid of flaws, an ex-intelligence officer reframed as a Russian James Bond who consistently understands beyond what he shows.

“In Russia, the manufactured Putin has long eclipsed the real one.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

A notable instance is a television show launched last October, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a invented security officer selected by fate to “rescue” the nation from chaos. While he is called a different name, the message is unmistakable: the hero must be a familiar security officer.

International depictions frequently result in buttressing this same narrative rather than undercutting it. A new film inspired by a popular book sets out to subvert the Putin cult by presenting him as a symptom but as a symptom, moving the narrative weight to the spin doctors around him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

In the film, the president is shown as having been chosen by powerful oligarchs to stabilise the nation because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. The oligarchs approach him and all but beg him to take the top job. He replies is that he would rather govern from the shadows, seeking permanent power.

This narrative is the Kremlin’s export myth: the detached, unwilling mastermind guided by fate. In reality, these events ever happened.

The Truth Behind the Selection

Nobody actually pleaded with him to accept the role. The position was in essence a selection process with many contenders. Central to this process stood a powerful businessman from the Yeltsin era who expected to run the state in practice.

• The shortlist included various figures, among them a reformer later murdered and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who studied Putin’s biography, the chosen candidate simply fitted the required parameters: loyal, from the intelligence world, and not a communist or a liberal.
• A property developer close to the process said the key criterion was manageability and loyalty, 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 image of Putin as a powerful KGB spy was built after the fact. Claims about his clandestine activities in Dresden fall apart under examination. In essence, he handled paperwork and technical tasks, a low-level clerk not involved with actual agent work.

Interestingly, the shift to depicting him as a “007” could partly have been triggered by the actor's arrival as James Bond. The grittier version led local outlets and online audiences to make comparisons with their leader. Edited images swapping the actor's likeness with Putin’s appeared on city centers, fueling the increasing trend to see him as a Russian 007.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an star popular with Russian audiences, the Kremlin are likely to seize the opportunity to frame his casting as a minor diplomatic triumph. The film's omission of public dissent, the opposition, or prominent activists in the story, despite covering the past decade, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

In Russian cinema, Putin is often an all-powerful presence who never appears on screen. His influence is signaled through photographs or orders from on high. In this new film, he finally acquires a recognizable face—one that could unintentionally echo the very myths it perhaps aims to examine.