Jude Law is Vladimir Putin in The Mage of the Kremlin: trailer
Paul Dano and Alicia Vikander are also in the cast of Olivier Assayas’ new film.
After playing Henry VIII in The Queen’s GameJude Law slips into the skin of Vladimir Putin for French director Olivier Assayas. But the real star of the film is Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano, the Kremlin Mage of the title. A fictional character inspired by a real man in Vladimir Putin’s shadow.
The synopsis describes Baranov as a “artist and then reality TV producer who becomes the unofficial advisor to a former KGB agent promised to absolute power, the future “Tsar” Vladimir Putin.
The Mage of the Kremlin is adapted from the eponymous book Giuliano da Empoli, which won the Grand Prix du roman de l’Académie française in 2022. Emmanuel Carrère participated in writing the screenplay with Olivier Assayas.
Presented in competition at the last Venice Film Festival, this political thriller is carried by an international cast, which also includes Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, Will Keen and Jeffrey Wright. Distributed by Gaumont, it will be released in France on January 21, 2026. Trailer:
