Jude Law’s Putin film, ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin,’ now has a movie trailer

The French film studio Gaumont has released the first trailer for The Wizard of the Kremlin, a movie about Vladimir Putin’s early political career and rise to the presidency. Directed by Olivier Assayas, the film features Jude Law as Putin.

The film’s main character, political strategist Vadim Baranov (inspired by Vladislav Surkov and played by Paul Dano) rises to wield unprecedented influence over Russian politics in the 1990s. In the film, Baranov — described as “the new Rasputin” and the titular “wizard of the Kremlin” — is tasked with creating a “different brand of politician” out of a “KGB spy.” In the trailer, Putin tells Baranov: “What interests me … is power. […] I’m not interested in the Nobel Peace Prize. I want a war.”

The Wizard of the Kremlin premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2025 and will be released worldwide on January 21, 2026. According to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, the film may also be shown in Russia.