Jude Law to play Vladimir Putin in biopic
English actor Jude Law has confirmed he’s set to play Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’ upcoming movie, The Wizard of the Kremlin.
Speculation regarding The Wizard of the Kremlin began last May when it was reported that Assayas was working on an adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s book of the same name. In addition to Law, the film is also set to feature Paul Dano, Alicia Vikander, Zach Galifianakis and Tom Sturridge.
The book, written by da Empoli who formerly served as a senior advisor to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, explores the story of Vadim Baranov, who became an advisor to Putin after starting out as a television producer. Dano is set to star as Baranov with Law in a supporting role as Putin.
In a new interview with Deadline, Law confirmed his involvement with the upcoming project, stating, “I say that hesitatingly because I haven’t really started work on it yet. I mean, I have, but at the moment it looks like an Everest to climb, so I’m in the foothills looking up thinking, ’Oh Christ, what have I said?’ That’s often how I feel whilst I say yes. I was going, ’Oh God, how am I going to do this?’ But anyway, that’s for me to sort out.”
The synopsis for da Empoli’s novel reads: “Known as the ‘Wizard of the Kremlin,’ the enigmatic Vadim Baranov was a TV producer before becoming a political advisor to Putin, aka ‘The Czar.’ After his resignation from this position, legends about him multiply, with no one able to distinguish truth from fiction. Until one night, when he tells his story to the narrator of this book…”
Meanwhile, Assayas previously said of The Wizard of the Kremlin: “Beyond the passions of men navigating the dangerous fluxes of modern politics, we see the powerful cinematic sweep of History in the making. It’s drama, it’s action, it’s about trying to make sense of the chaos that is transforming our world in the strangest, most disturbing ways.”
As of yet, filming is yet to begin on The Wizard of the Kremlin and there is no release date attached to the movie.
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