MOVIE NEWS – Jude Law takes on Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas’ new political thriller, The Wizard of the Kremlin. The film’s Hungarian-subtitled trailer is now online.
Olivier Assayas’ latest political thriller, The Wizard of the Kremlin, filters the Soviet Union’s final stretch, the Russian Federation’s turbulent birth, and a young Vladimir Putin’s rise through the eyes of a fictional protagonist. The film is set to reach Hungarian cinemas on April 2, distributed by ADS Service.
Russia, early 1990s. In the middle of post-Soviet turmoil, gifted young Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) tries to sketch out a future for himself. He starts out chasing art, then pivots to producing reality TV, and eventually becomes communications adviser to an up-and-coming KGB officer, Vladimir Putin (Jude Law). Once inside the power machine, Baranov helps script the face of the new Russia, smudging the line between truth and lies, belief and manipulation. The only thing he can’t steer is Ksenia (Alicia Vikander), the alluring outlier who is also the one person capable of pulling him away from the game. Years later, after retreating from public view, Baranov speaks up and lays bare the darker secrets of the system he helped build.
Assayas (Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils Maria, Irma Vep) co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Carrère, adapting Giuliano da Empoli’s best-selling novel of the same name. Paul Dano leads the cast (There Will Be Blood, Prisoners, The Batman), with Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander as his love interest (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, Tomb Raider) and Oscar-nominee Jude Law as Putin (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Closer, The Young Pope).
In Hungary, The Wizard of the Kremlin opens on April 2, 2026, via ADS Service.
Source: ADS press materials
