When the Cannes Film Festival first announced the inclusion of Werner Herzog’s film, Bucking Fastard, in the Cannes Première section as a screening, it left many confused, as the movie was tipped for a competition slot initially. Apparently, Herzog also thought so, as his latest action conveys his disappointment with the festival. This displeasure has now led the filmmaker to take a route that only a few like Jim Jarmusch take every year.

Herzog has withdrawn his film, Bucking Fastard, from this year’s Cannes Film Festival, over the competition slot denial.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard will not have its Cannes premiere. According to an exclusive by Variety, a representative for the movie claimed in a statement that Bucking Fastard was invited as an official selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, but the filmmaker turned it down.  

Werner Herzog's latest film, Bucking Fastard, was refused the competition spot at Cannes 2026. Though it came quite close. According to a source close to the producers, Herzog had hoped that actors Rooney Mara and Kate Mara, who play twin sisters in the film, would be eligible for honors.

As per World of Reel, the probable reason why Bucking Fastard was taken out of consideration might be Lukas Dhont, who had earlier informed Cannes that his film would not be ready, but submitted Coward at the last minute. To compensate for this sudden change, the festival gave the Cannes Premiere slot in lieu of the competition slot in the Cannes Film Festival 2026 lineup to Herzog’s movie.

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Herzog had high hopes for his film, which centers around twin sisters Joan and Jean, who exist on the fringes of society.

Inspired by the true story of Freda and Greta Chaplin, twin sisters who garnered media attention in the early 1980s for their unsettling and creepy obsession with their neighbor, Bucking Fastard brings this eerie case to the screen. As a result of their behavior, the court issued a restraining order.

According to The Film Stage, the film’s unusual title reportedly comes from a verbal slip that both twins made at the same time during court proceedings. Apart from Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, the movie also features Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson in the ensemble cast. With Werner Herzog’s refusal to screen it at the Cannes Film Festival, the film might find an alternative stage to showcase its brilliance.

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