Director Werner Herzog premiered his new film "Bucking Fastard" at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Thursday, September 3, 2026. The world premiere screening took place at the Sala Grande in Venice, Italy, with cast members Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Domhnall Gleeson, and Orlando Bloom in attendance. The film is a production of Ireland and the United States, produced by Clara Wu Tsai, Werner Herzog, Ariel Leon Isacovitch, and Agnes Chu.
The screenplay, written by Herzog, was partially inspired by his meeting with Freda and Greta Chaplin, twin sisters from the United Kingdom who gained notoriety in the 1980s for their manner of speaking. In the film, sisters Joanie (Rooney Mara) and Jeanie Holbrooke (Kate Mara) speak and react in perfect unison, sharing identical dreams and making the same slips of the tongue. The sisters are depicted as social outliers who attract the protection of the men around them.
The plot follows the sisters as they navigate a legal case in an Irish court after a restraining order is filed against them by a neighbor and former lover, Gareth Maloney (Orlando Bloom). Domhnall Gleeson plays Timothy, a government-assigned social worker who attempts to help the siblings adapt to modern life after they become a sensation in tabloid media. Seeking a "better world," the sisters eventually attempt to dig a tunnel through a mountain range.
The scale of the production involves international cooperation between Irish and American production companies, including Providence Road Entertainment and Gateway to Orkney, with world sales managed by HanWay Films in London. While the film has debuted on the festival circuit, a specific date for a general theatrical or streaming release for the broader public was not reported. The film has a running time of 109 minutes and features a score by composer Ernst Reijseger.
Following the Venice premiere, the film's trajectory typically involves further festival screenings or the securing of distribution deals for various global markets. The 83rd Venice International Film Festival continues through early September, serving as a venue for films seeking critical attention and commercial distribution. No specific deadlines for future awards eligibility or digital release windows were stated in the reports.