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Last year, star Jude Law stated he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for portraying Vladimir Putin in a new film. The movie, though, could coincide too neatly with the mythologized image circulated by Russian state media that, within Russia, it reads as a compliment instead of a challenge.

The Crafted Strongman

For years, the Kremlin and its pop-culture machine have worked together to craft a tailor-made persona of the president. This character is an infallible strategist devoid of flaws, a former spy reframed as a Russian James Bond who always knows more than he reveals.

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

Cinematic Reinforcement

One recent example is a TV series released last October, directed by a pro-government filmmaker. The protagonist is a invented security officer selected by fate to “rescue” the nation from disorder. Although he is called a different name, the message is clear: the hero must be a familiar security officer.

International depictions often end up buttressing this same narrative rather than debunking it. A new film based on a bestselling satirical novel aims to undermine the Putin cult by framing him not as a cause but as a symptom, moving 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 stabilise the country because he is “young, athletic and a spy”. They visit him and practically plead him to become president. His response 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 guided by fate. In reality, these events took place.

The Truth Behind the Selection

Nobody actually pleaded with Putin to accept the role. The presidency was in essence a casting call with no shortage of contenders. At the centre to this process stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who expected to run the country de facto.

• His list featured various figures, among them an opposition leader later murdered and a former spy chief.
• According to an expert who studied his rise, the chosen candidate simply fitted the required parameters: loyal, from the security services, and politically neutral.
• A businessman close to the process said the key criterion 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

Analysts concur that the image of Putin as a powerful KGB spy was built after the fact. Claims about his clandestine activities in East Germany do not stand up to scrutiny. In essence, he handled paperwork and technical tasks, a mid-level functionary not engaged in actual agent work.

Interestingly, the shift to depicting him as a “spy” may in part have been inspired by the actor's debut as James Bond. The grittier interpretation led local outlets and social media to make comparisons with Putin. Edited images swapping the actor's likeness with Putin’s surfaced on Moscow streets, fueling the increasing trend to see him as a Russian 007.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an star popular with viewers there, the authorities will not miss the opportunity to frame his casting as a small victory. The film's exclusion of public dissent, the political rivals, 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 all-powerful presence who never appears on screen. His influence is hinted at through photographs or orders from on high. Now, he finally acquires a recognizable face—one that could unintentionally validate the very myths it perhaps aims to question.