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In a recent appearance, actor Jude Law remarked he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for portraying Vladimir Putin in a cinematic adaptation. The movie, however, may align too neatly with the carefully constructed version promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a compliment rather than a critique.

The Manufactured Superhero

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

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

Screen-Based Support

One recent example is a television show launched last October, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a invented blue-eyed lieutenant colonel selected by fate to “rescue” the nation from disorder. Although the character's name a different name, the implication is clear: the savior must be a familiar security officer.

International depictions frequently result in reinforcing this same narrative rather than undercutting it. A new film based on a popular book aims to undermine the leader's mythology by presenting him as a symptom but as a consequence, moving the focus to the spin doctors around him.

The Fable of the Hesitant President

On screen, the president is shown as having been chosen by powerful oligarchs to steady the country 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, 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 ever begged him to accept the role. The presidency was effectively a casting call with no shortage of contenders. At the centre to this process stood an influential oligarch from the previous administration who expected to run the country in practice.

• The shortlist included several politicians, including a reformer subsequently assassinated and a security service director.
• According to a journalist who studied Putin’s biography, the chosen candidate simply fitted the required parameters: loyal, from the intelligence world, and politically neutral.
• A property developer familiar with the process stated the primary requirement was manageability and loyalty, not strength.

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

Constructing the Spy Legend

Analysts concur that the notion of him as a powerful KGB spy was constructed retrospectively. Stories about his “recruitment work” in East Germany do not stand up to scrutiny. In essence, he handled paperwork and routine duties, a low-level clerk not involved with actual agent work.

Curiously, the shift to depicting him as a “007” could partly have been triggered by the actor's arrival as 007. His harder interpretation prompted local outlets and online audiences to draw visual parallels with their leader. Edited images replacing the actor's likeness with Putin’s appeared on Moscow streets, feeding the growing tendency to frame him as a Russian 007.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an star popular with Russian audiences, the authorities will not miss the chance to portray this choice as a small victory. Its omission of public dissent, the opposition, or prominent activists from its narrative, despite covering the past decade, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

In Russian cinema, the president is frequently an omnipotent figure who remains unseen directly. He is hinted at through portraits or calls “from above”. Now, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that could unintentionally echo the very myths it might seek to examine.