Zelensky fans want Jeremy Renner to play the Ukrainian president in a movie

The missiles are still flying, but some social media users are already trying to cast Jeremy Renner — who plays Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a movie about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, The New York Post reported Monday.
Zelensky and Renner bear "striking similarities to one another," the Post writes, both of them with "deep-set eyes, short brown hair, and an almost identical jawline."
Before becoming president, Zelensky had a successful career as a comedic film and television actor. In a sense, he even played himself — or, rather, a future version of himself — in the show Servant of the People, in which Zelensky starred as a non-politician who becomes president of Ukraine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Zelensky is highly popular, both in Ukraine and around the world. According to a poll conducted on Sunday, 91 percent of Ukrainians support Zelensky's leadership during the crisis, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Not everyone was excited about the fan casting, however.
One Twitter user wrote that discussing an eventual movie while Ukrainians are dying was "pathetic and tasteless," while another compared the trend to "people tweeting about which actor should play a 9/11 fireman ... while the towers are still burning."
Others mocked Americans for the tendency to view all political events through the lens of popular entertainment franchises like Marvel, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant money
Speed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US