NEWS
EVENTS
Vladimir Putin Character Cut From Upcoming Disaster Film Kursk
Scenes featuring an actor portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin have been cut from the upcoming film Kursk, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Kursk, which chronicles the 2000 Russian submarine disaster, was originally going to feature Putin in a supporting role (he was three months into his presidency at the time), although producer Luc Besson decided that the story would be better told if it focused on the rescue efforts rather than the politics behind the incident.
It was also feared that featuring Putin as a character in the film would anger the Russian government, and may have even resulted in studio EuropaCorp being hacked.
Similar to how North Korea were believed to be behind the 2014 Sony Pictures email hack in retaliation for how Kim Jong Un was depicted as being killed in the film The Interview. Given the unease over how putin may also be manipulating Trump, it also comes as no surprise that they choose to avoid controversy by not depicting him in the film.
Robert Rodat will script Kursk, using Robert Moore's bestselling nonfiction book A Time to Die as its basis. Directed by Far from the Madding Crowd's Thomas Vinterberg, it will star Léa Seydoux, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Oscar winner Colin Firth, with filming set to begin next month.
