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Jude Law has played robots, kings, and so many pretty boys over the course of his career. Now, he’s adding the current leader of Russia to the list. The new trailer for The Wizard of the Kremlin features Law as a Vladimir Putin on the verge of taking power, with Paul Dano also starring as the man who helped him rise to infamy.
Here’s the official synopsis from Vertical Entertainment:
In the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, rising KGB officer Vladimir Putin (Law) joins forces with master manipulator Vadim Baranov (Dano) to reshape life behind the Iron Curtain, using violence and deception to change the world forever. Putin and Baranov’s reign of chaos begins with lies and corruption, and quickly escalates to assassinations, tyranny, and eventually all-out war.
Law told Deadline in a 2025 interview that he was a bit intimidated by the challenge of playing the Russian dictator: “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 Wizard of the Kremlin is directed by Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper, Irma Vep), based on the fictionalized novel by Giuliano da Empoli. The movie also stars Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, Will Keen, and Jeffrey Wright.
Check out the trailer below, which Quentin Tarantino will probably skip (given that he’s not a fan of Dano’s acting). The Wizard of the Kremlin arrives in theaters on May 15th, 2026.
English (US) · 