Herzog is positioning this as an artist protecting his work's integrity and ensuring the film — starring Rooney Mara and Kate Mara in what sources call searing performances — gets a release profile worthy of five years of labor. The competition slot isn't about ego; it's about giving investors a fighting chance.
But Cannes initially listed 'Bucking Fastard' in its first lineup announcement, then quietly downgraded it to a non-competition slot — a move sources say blindsided the filmmaker's team and left industry observers speculating whether the festival ever genuinely wanted the film or was simply using Herzog's name to fill out prestige.
'I submitted it to Cannes, and we were told, "It\u2019s not selected for competition. We might put it in a different section." To which I responded, "I haven\u2019t made a film in five years... That\u2019s not appropriate to me,"' — Jim Jarmusch, IndieWire, 2025. Also: Jarmusch's Cannes snub resulted in Venice's Golden Lion win and $8.2 million global gross for 'Father Mother Sister Brother.'
Herzog just pulled a Jarmusch — and if history repeats itself, whoever picks up this film at Venice is sitting on a trophy-winning gem.
Werner Herzog has officially snubbed Cannes. The German auteur's hotly anticipated thriller "Bucking Fastard" was invited as an official selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival — and the filmmaker said no. A spokesperson for the film confirmed the decline in a statement, pointing directly to the reason: Cannes would not offer the project a competition slot.
The festival initially included "Bucking Fastard" in its first lineup announcement, which only deepened the confusion when it became clear Herzog had been relegated to a secondary position. Sources close to the filmmakers say Herzog was counting on competition eligibility for his stars Rooney Mara and Kate Mara — who play twin sisters Jean and Joan Holbrooke in what insiders describe as searing performances. "Werner Herzog, there's nobody like him on the planet," Kate Mara told Variety last year.
"So to be able to have that experience with him was magical. But then to have it with my sister, it's sort of what dreams are made of." That kind of passion project deserved a shot at the Palme d'Or, and everyone involved knew it. Herzog's stance mirrors a high-profile Cannes exit from 2025: Jim Jarmusch declined that year's festival after being told his film "Father Mother Sister Brother" wouldn't be in competition.
"I submitted it to Cannes, and we were told, 'It's not selected for competition. We might put it in a different section,'" Jarmusch told IndieWire at the time. "To which I responded, 'I haven't made a film in five years.
I've been in Cannes many times. That's not appropriate to me.'" That film went on to premiere at Venice, where it won the Golden Lion — Cannes' top prize — before grossing $8.2 million globally. Cannes organizers declined to comment on the Herzog situation.
But the comparison is doing exactly what you'd expect in industry circles: raising eyebrows and prompting whispers about which prestigious European festival will get first dibs on "Bucking Fastard" instead. Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson also appear in the ensemble, with HanWay and Gersh handling international sales. The plot follows the Mara sisters as twin siblings who dig a tunnel through a mountain range in search of an imaginary land where true love is supposedly possible — surreal territory that plays directly into Herzog's most beloved wheelhouse.
The message to Cannes is loud and clear: when you're Werner Herzog, you don't play second fiddle. And if Jarmusch's post-Cannes trajectory is any indication, this film is going somewhere very good next.
