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

The Crafted Superhero

For years, the Russian political apparatus and its pop-culture machine have collaborated to craft a tailor-made version of the president. This figure is an infallible strategist without age or mistakes, an ex-intelligence officer reimagined as a local 007 who consistently understands beyond what he shows.

“In Russia, the constructed Putin has long eclipsed the actual person.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

One recent example is a television show released last fall, directed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a invented security officer inexplicably chosen to “rescue” Russia from disorder. Although the character's name Mikhail, the implication is unmistakable: the savior must be a known figure from the secret services.

International depictions frequently result in buttressing this identical story rather than debunking it. An adaptation based on a bestselling satirical novel aims to undermine the leader's mythology by presenting him not as a cause but as a consequence, moving the focus to the political machinery around him.

The Fable of the Hesitant President

In the film, the president is presented as having been picked by powerful oligarchs to stabilise the country because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. They visit him and all but beg him to take the top job. His response is that he would rather govern from the background, seeking permanent power.

This tale is the Kremlin’s export myth: the cool, reluctant strategist shaped by destiny. In reality, none of this took place.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one actually pleaded with him to take the job. The presidency was in essence a selection process with many contenders. At the centre to this process stood an influential oligarch from the previous administration who planned to control the state in practice.

• The shortlist included several politicians, including an opposition leader subsequently assassinated and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who researched his rise, the chosen candidate merely met the required parameters: obedient, from the intelligence world, and politically neutral.
• A property developer close to the process stated the key criterion was manageability and loyalty, not leadership.

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

Building the 007 Persona

Analysts concur that the notion of Putin as a master operative was constructed retrospectively. Claims about his “recruitment work” in East Germany do not stand up to scrutiny. Fundamentally, he handled paperwork and routine duties, a low-level clerk not engaged in field operations.

Interestingly, the shift to depicting him as a “007” could partly have been triggered by the actor's arrival as James Bond. The grittier interpretation prompted Russian media and social media to make comparisons with their leader. Edited images swapping Craig’s face with his surfaced on Moscow streets, feeding the growing tendency to frame him as a Russian 007.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an actor well-liked by viewers there, the Kremlin are likely to seize the opportunity to frame his casting as a small victory. The film's exclusion of mass protests, the opposition, or key figures in the story, even though it includes recent years, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

Domestically, Putin is frequently an all-powerful presence who never appears on screen. His influence is signaled through portraits or calls “from above”. Now, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that may inadvertently validate the very myths it might seek to question.