Living Book (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

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Living Book follows grieving, rebellious Roma and timid schoolboy Vitya after they discover animated characters inside magical books. When their carelessness releases an evil sorcerer, the boys face a fantastical challenge that requires Roma to regain his faith in himself and protect his new friend.

Living Book is a Russian family adventure with fantasy elements, built around magical books, animated characters and two young protagonists caught in a dangerous mistake.

The story centers on Roma, a boy changed by the loss of his father, and Vitya, a timid elementary school student. Their discovery in a mysterious old man’s house sets up a quest involving friendship, courage and a released sorcerer.

Living Book movie details

Story without spoilers

After his father’s death, Roma turns away from his belief in goodness and becomes brash and rebellious. His path crosses with Vitya, a shy young student, and together they enter the home of a mysterious old man.

Inside, they find magical books whose characters are alive. A careless act unleashes an evil sorcerer, forcing Roma to take responsibility and try to save Vitya while restoring the disrupted world. His greatest challenge is also personal: he must learn to believe in himself again.

What to expect

The supplied premise points to a family-friendly fantasy adventure that combines a real-world setting with magical books and animated literary characters. The story emphasizes friendship, personal recovery and the consequences of reckless choices, while its central conflict gives Roma an emotional goal alongside the external danger.

The film’s fantasy elements include an evil sorcerer and characters identified with Ilya Muromets, Sherlock Holmes and Chernomor. These details suggest a story drawing on familiar heroic, detective and folklore figures, without revealing how they fit into the plot.

Cast and creative team

The cast includes Sergey Bezrukov as Ilya Muromets, Nikita Kologrivyy as Sherlock Holmes and Ilya Sobolev as Chernomor. Leonid Yakubovich, Olga Kuzmina, Denis Yakovlev, Valentina Karnaukhova, Sergey Fedorov, Dmitrii Kalikhov and Ulyana Kvitovskaya are also credited.

Denis Gulyar directs Living Book. The screenplay is credited to Daria Petrova, Sonya Maksimcha and Gayk Asatryan.

• Sergey Bezrukov as Илья Муромец
• Nikita Kologrivyy as Шерлок Холмс
• Leonid Yakubovich
• Ilya Sobolev as Черномор
• Olga Kuzmina
• Denis Yakovlev
• Valentina Karnaukhova
• Sergey Fedorov
• Dmitrii Kalikhov
• Ulyana Kvitovskaya

Release and production context

Living Book is listed as a 2026 Russian production in the Family, Adventure and Fantasy genres. Its release date is November 4, 2026, and its spoken language is Russian. The listed production companies are Cinema Plus, Mediaterra, Papini Production and SoFilm. No runtime is supplied.

Production companies: Cinema Plus, Mediaterra, Papini Production, SoFilm

Movies Dock view

With its focus on magical books, recognizable fictional figures and a friendship tested by danger, Living Book is positioned as a fantasy adventure for family audiences. The emotional thread involving Roma’s grief and self-belief gives the premise a personal dimension beyond the supernatural conflict.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb