Werner Herzog Dedicates 'Bucking Fastard' to David Lynch at Venice, as Kate and Rooney Mara Share the Screen for the First Time
Werner Herzog dedicated his new film Bucking Fastard to the late David Lynch at a Venice Film Festival press conference on the Lido on 3 September 2026, telling reporters that during editing he told his editor he wished Lynch could be at the first public screening. "I would like to turn the wheel of time back and invite him," Herzog said, describing a "deep, deep understanding" between the two film-makers (The Hollywood Reporter). Lynch died in January 2025 at the age of 78.
The film, which screens in the Venezia 83 Competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, carries a runtime of 109 minutes and is a co-production of Ireland and the USA (La Biennale di Venezia). Herzog is also receiving the festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement this year (The Hollywood Reporter).
Bucking Fastard follows the Holbrooke sisters, Jean and Joan, played by Kate Mara and Rooney Mara in their first-ever onscreen pairing. The sisters dress alike, speak simultaneously and share a nearly supernatural bond; both fall for the rowdy rogue Gareth Mulroney, played by Orlando Bloom with a thick Irish brogue, a tangle that leads to legal proceedings and a restraining order. Domhnall Gleeson plays Timothy, a government-assigned social worker tasked with helping the sisters adapt to life after they become tabloid sensations. The story is loosely based on the real case of British identical twins Freda and Greta Chaplin, who became the subjects of a tabloid court case in the 1980s. The film's title comes from a synchronized verbal slip the sisters made in court (The Hollywood Reporter).
For the Mara sisters, being siblings in real life helped with the required synchronicity. Rooney Mara cited a lifetime of shared history and "an unspoken world" between them, while Kate Mara said that once they found the rhythm of speaking in unison it felt almost like a song and came quite naturally (The Hollywood Reporter).
Herzog, known for extensive actor preparation, said he stopped rehearsals after five days rather than his usual two weeks, meeting his cast in Ireland in front of the camera. Gleeson described the experience as "a little terrifying" but said he felt safe, trusting "the hands of a master" (The Hollywood Reporter).
Bucking Fastard was listed among the hot sales titles at the Venice and Toronto festival markets in 2026, alongside titles including Prima Facie (Yahoo Entertainment). Herzog is also developing an animated film based on his novel The Twilight World, in which he will voice a character (La Biennale di Venezia).
