The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
The Wizard of the Kremlin (French: Le Mage du Kremlin) is a 2025 English-language French political thriller dark comedy film directed by Olivier Assayas, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Carrère. It is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli. It is a satire that follows the fictional character of Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) during the final years of the Soviet Union and the turbulent start of the Russian Federation, while a young Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) rises to power. It also stars Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright.
Article
The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
The Wizard of the Kremlin (French: Le Mage du Kremlin) is a 2025 English-language French political thriller dark comedy film directed by Olivier Assayas, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Carrère. It is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli. It is a satire that follows the fictional character of Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) during the final years of the Soviet Union and the turbulent start of the Russian Federation, while a young Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) rises to power. It also stars Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 31 August 2025, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion.
Premise
The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
Vadim Baranov morphs from a young artist in 1990s Russia into an influential government official and spin doctor at the heart of the government.
Cast
The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
• Paul Dano as Vadim Baranov (inspired by Vladislav Surkov) • Jude Law as Vladimir Putin (nicknamed the 'tsar') • Alicia Vikander as Ksenia • Will Keen as Boris Berezovsky • Tom Sturridge as Dmitri Sidorov • Jeffrey Wright as Rowland • Kaspars Kambala as Alexander Zaldostanov • Andris Keišs as Yevgeny Prigozhin • Magne-Håvard Brekke as Eduard Limonov • Matthew Baunsgard as Larry • Dan Cade as Agent Johnson
Production
The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
The film is directed by Olivier Assayas and is an adaptation by Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère of the novel The Wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliano da Empoli, published in French in April 2022. It is produced by Curiosa Films and Gaumont in co-production with France 2 Cinéma.
Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Zach Galifianakis and Tom Sturridge were reported to be leading the cast in May 2024 with Dano cast as the fictional Russian political advisor Vadim Baranov. In January 2025, it was announced that Law would portray Vladimir Putin. Filming took place in March 2025 in Riga, Latvia.
Release
The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
In February 2026, Vertical acquired North American rights to the film, and has set a 2026 release date.
Reception
The Wizard of the Kremlin (film)
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 52% of 44 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A dryly witty yet overwrought slow burner, The Wizard of the Kremlin can't overcome its thin characters, sluggish pacing, and repetitive storytelling." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Accolades
<table><thead><tr><th>Award</th><th>Date of ceremony</th><th>Category</th><th>Recipient(s)</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Cinema for Peace Awards</td><td>16 February 2026</td><td>Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Film of the Year</td><td>The Wizard of the Kremlin</td><td>Pending</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Venice International Film Festival</td><td>6 September 2025</td><td>Golden Lion</td><td>Olivier Assayas</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>