Spokesman for the Knightsbridge Entertainment film company, Valery Saaryan, denied reports that Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio will play Putin in an upcoming political thriller, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Tuesday.
“We have not made any announcements, I don’t know where these claims about an agreement with DiCaprio have come from,” Saaryan told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
The Dozhd television channel reported earlier on Tuesday that DiCaprio had already agreed to play the role of Putin in the movie.
“All I can say is that four top-class actors are taking part in auditions [for the role of Putin] and the film will be made by a director who has two Oscars to his name,” Saaryan added.
Saaryan confirmed that Putin's approval had not been sought by those making the film despite media reports to the contrary.
“This movie does not require the approval of the president. We haven’t talked to him about this. In any case, all legal issues have been checked and rechecked by the company’s lawyers,” he confirmed.
Filming will begin in Spring 2016.