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Last year, actor Jude Law remarked he had no concerns about backlash for playing the Russian leader in a new film. This production, however, could coincide so closely with the mythologized version promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a compliment rather than a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

Over a long period, the Russian political apparatus and the country's pop-culture machine have worked together to forge a made-to-measure persona of the president. This character is a political superhero without age or mistakes, a former spy reframed as a local 007 who always knows beyond what he shows.

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

Cinematic Reinforcement

A notable instance is a TV series launched last October, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. The protagonist is a fictional blue-eyed lieutenant colonel selected by fate to “rescue” the nation from chaos. While the character's name Mikhail, the implication is unmistakable: the savior must be a familiar security officer.

Western portrayals often end up buttressing this same narrative instead of undercutting it. An adaptation inspired by a bestselling satirical novel aims to subvert the leader's mythology by presenting him as a symptom but as a symptom, shifting the focus to the spin doctors around him.

The Fable of the Hesitant President

On screen, the president is presented as having been chosen by influential figures to stabilise the country because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. The oligarchs approach him and practically plead him to become president. He replies is that he would prefer to rule from the background, desiring enduring influence.

This narrative is the Kremlin’s export myth: the cool, reluctant strategist guided by fate. Historically, these events took place.

The Truth Behind the Selection

No one ever begged him to accept the role. The presidency was in essence a casting call with many contenders. At the centre to the selection stood a powerful businessman from the Yeltsin era who expected to run the country in practice.

• His list featured various figures, among them a reformer later murdered and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who researched his rise, the future president merely met the necessary criteria: loyal, from the intelligence world, and politically neutral.
• A businessman familiar with the events said the key criterion was manageability and loyalty, not leadership.

“They didn’t need a strong candidate, they needed someone controllable, someone who would follow instructions.”

Building the 007 Persona

Experts agree that the image of Putin as a master operative was constructed retrospectively. Claims about his clandestine activities in Dresden do not stand up to scrutiny. Fundamentally, he was an administrator and technical tasks, a mid-level functionary not involved with field operations.

Curiously, the move to framing him as a “007” could partly have been triggered by the actor's arrival as 007. The grittier interpretation led local outlets and online audiences to make comparisons with Putin. Edited images swapping Craig’s face with Putin’s appeared on city centers, feeding the increasing trend to frame him as a Russian 007.

A Diplomatic Opportunity?

With Jude Law, an star popular with Russian audiences, the authorities will not miss the opportunity to frame his casting as a minor diplomatic triumph. The film's omission of mass protests, the opposition, or key figures in the story, despite covering recent years, is a pleasant bonus for official messaging.

Domestically, the president is frequently an omnipotent figure who never appears on screen. His influence is signaled 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 examine.