Werner Herzog Turns Down Cannes 2026: Refused to Premiere "Bucking Fastard" Outside Official Competitionl

Werner Herzog’s new film “Bucking Fastard” will not screen at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, a spokesperson for the film has confirmed. Although the title had initially been included in the festival’s first programming announcement, it later vanished from the schedule, sparking confusion and speculation about its fate.

According to sources close to the production, Herzog chose to decline the festival’s official invitation after not being offered a spot in the main competition. The director had reportedly hoped that the film’s leads, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara, who play a pair of twin sisters in what are described as scorching performances, would be eligible for the acting awards the festival bestows. When that possibility was not guaranteed, he walked away.

Cannes organizers declined to comment. A spokesperson for the film, however, confirmed that an official selection had been extended, but that “the filmmakers declined” the invitation.

The situation echoes what unfolded with Jim Jarmusch last year, when he pulled “Father Mother Sister Brother” from Cannes 2025 after learning it would not compete for the Palme d’Or. “Competition is very important to me at Cannes, not because of the competition itself, but because of the profile it gives my film’s release, so I can start paying back investors and make another movie,” Jarmusch told IndieWire at the time. The gamble paid off: the film premiered at Venice, where it won the Golden Lion, before grossing over $8 million worldwide.

All signs now point to “Bucking Fastard” following a similar path and setting its sights on Venice this coming September. The film follows Jean and Joan Holbrooke, the sisters played by the Maras, who set out to dig a tunnel through a mountain range in search of an imaginary land where true love exists. The ensemble cast also includes Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson, with international sales handled by HanWay and Gersh.

Kate Mara had already spoken glowingly about the project in a recent interview, calling it “one of the best experiences of my life” and describing it as “a dream scenario,” especially because she got to share it with her sister under Herzog’s direction. “Werner Herzog, there is no one like him on this planet,” the actress said.