US Edition‘The Wizard Of The Kremlin’ Clip: Watch Paul Dano Play Putin Adviser In Venice Contender
The film blends historical and fictional elements to examine the nature and consequences of political evil through Vladimir Putin's ascent, aiming to spark debate amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
- This coming week, French director Olivier Assayas's English-language film The Wizard of the Kremlin premieres at the Venice Film Festival, starring Jude Law as Vladimir Putin and Paul Dano as Vadim Baranov.
- Assayas and co-writer Emmanuel Carrère developed the screenplay adapted from Giuliano da Empoli's 2022 novel, aiming to portray the 'inner workings' of political evil during Putin's 1990s rise.
- Filmed entirely in Riga, Latvia in March 2025, the production used local settings for Kremlin-era scenes, with Jude Law `completely transformed and reinvented` into Putin, praised by Assayas alongside Paul Dano's performance.
- With Russia's war with Ukraine ongoing, director Olivier Assayas acknowledged the multi-faceted portrayal could inspire blowback, and the film is expected to trigger heated debate at Venice Film Festival despite financing challenges by producer Olivier Delbosc and studio Gaumont.
- Assayas says they validated the script with historians and journalists, and Latvia's Russian refugee community provided authentic accents and firsthand accounts that helped verify the film's historical accuracy.
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Washington Top News
KRDOJude Law has played a young Pope, Captain Hook in "Peter Pan," a "Star Wars" villain, and Professor Dumbledore himself from the Harry Potter stories. But nothing prepared audiences for seeing Law as Russian President Vladimir Putin in the film "The Wizard of the Kremlin," for which the first official image of the actor in the role was released this Thursday. "The Wizard of the Kremlin," directed by French director Olivier Assayas, was presented …
‘The Wizard Of The Kremlin’ Clip: Watch Paul Dano Play Putin Adviser In Venice Contender
EXCLUSIVE: Oliver Assayas’ topical drama The Wizard of the Kremlin, revolving around a scheming Russian spin doctor who smooths Vladimir Putin’s ascent to power in the 1990s, world premieres in Venice this weekend. Deadline can reveal a first clip of Paul Dano in the titular role of Vadim Baranov, a former avant-garde artist and reality […]
"The Mage du Kremlin", a film by Olivier Assayas adapted from Giuliano da Empoli's novel on the rise to power of the Russian president, must mark a highlight of the 82nd Mostra of Venice. First images of the...
Jude Law ‘very intimidated’ to play Russian President Vladimir Putin; director defends The Wizard of the Kremlin: ‘The more successful the villain…’
Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin explores Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rise and power struggles, with Jude Law as Putin and Paul Dano as a fictional adviser inspired by real politics.
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