Hollywood gets its favorite villain back

Russia's invasion of Ukraine means a Cold War redux in American entertainment

Vladimir Putin.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

You know you're in trouble if even The New York Post is asking, "Too soon?"

But that's the magic of Hollywood, baby: Within hours of the Russian invasion upending the lives of 44 million Ukrainians late last month, Americans were already imagining who might play President Volodymyr Zelensky in a movie. Backlash was justifiably swift — it's like "people tweeting about which actor should play a 9/11 fireman ... while the towers are still burning," went one inspired comparison — though in a country that interprets so much of politics through the reductive lens of pop culture and superheroes, perhaps the fan casting was not entirely surprising.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.