Imagine Fleabag meets Valeria, a world where women’s desires are not whispered in the margins but placed front and center. On screen, desire often gets boxed into neat tropes, the supportive lover, the tragic muse, the comedic relief. Rarely do we see its full, unruly complexity on display. Enter Vladimir, Netflix’s upcoming limited series that turns female desire into something picturesque, messy, and achingly human.

Vladimir challenges the way women’s longing has been portrayed on the screen, offering us not just a story, but an experience that looks and feels like literature brought to life. Which makes up for the question: Is Vladimir based on a book? 

For anyone wondering whether this literary texture is just clever filmmaking, the answer is no. Vladimir is adapted from the acclaimed 2022 novel of the same name by Julia May Jonas. Jonas did not just provide the blueprint, she also serves as a director, writer and executive producer on the series, ensuring the show’s voice remains fiercely tied to the original text. 

“It explores what women feel like they’re allowed to desire, and how they’re allowed to desire.”, Jonas herself describes the story’s heart clearly.

That statement, both simple and profound, positions Vladimir as more than a romance or thriller. The series premieres on Netflix on March 5, 2026.

Her original novel, Vladimir, was published on February 1, 2022, by Avid Reader Press. It garnered critical acclaim for its sharp literary voice and unflinching look at desire, identity, and power dynamics within academia. The book’s plot follows a storyline that blends dark humour with psychological tension. 

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Netflix’s Vladimir adaptation adds on to its growing list of book to screen series. But how will the story unfold on screen?

Vladimir consists of eight episodes, each roughly 30 minutes long and blends dark comedy with psychological drama. Rachel Weisz stars as the unnamed professor at the center of the story, while Leo Woodall plays Vladimir, the magnetic new colleague who catalyses her slow descent into fixation. John Slattery appears as John, adding gravitas and emotional complexity to the narrative, with Jessica Henwick as Cynthia and Ellen Robertson as Sid rounding out the core ensemble.

A rich supporting cast including Kayli Carter, Miriam Silverman, Mallori Johnson, Matt Walsh, Tattiawna Jones and Louise Lambert further deepens the world Vladimir inhabits, giving the series its layered, ensemble-driven texture.

Official synopses describe a passionate but reckless professor whose life begins to unravel as her fixation on a charismatic colleague deepens. Seduction and obsession collide in a narrative that tests moral boundaries, invites discomfort, and refuses neat resolution. Forbidden desires, dark humour, and razor-sharp dialogue are expected to define the arc of the series.

Vladimir promises to be one of Netflix’s most intriguing dramatizations of female interiority and agency in 2026. Whether you are drawn to its literary origins or its bold take on desire, this series could redefine how women’s stories are told on screen. 

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Will you be watching when it drops on March 5? Share your thoughts and expectations!