The Sheep Detectives
2026 film by Kyle Balda
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The Sheep Detectives is a 2026 mystery comedy film directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin, based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. The film features an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson, with the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein. The film follows a flock of sheep who try to solve the murder of their shepherd.
| The Sheep Detectives | |
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| Directed by | Kyle Balda |
| Written by | Craig Mazin |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | George Steel |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Christophe Beck |
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Running time | 109 minutes[2] |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $75 million[3] |
| Box office | $126 million[4][5] |
The Sheep Detectives entered development in March 2024, under the title Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, with Jackman and Thompson cast in the lead roles; the rest of the cast was announced in June 2024, and in April 2025. Balda and Mazin were confirmed to direct and write the film, respectively, in June 2024. Framestore provided the animation for the animals in the film, while its score was composed by Christophe Beck.
The film had preview screenings on 2 May 2026, and was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International[a] on 8 May 2026. The film received critical acclaim from critics and has grossed $126 million.
Plot
In the English village of Denbrook, shepherd George Hardy spends his time reading murder mystery novels to his flock of sheep. The sheep live in blissful ignorance, believing that death is only a concept that exists in fiction and that they turn into clouds at the end of their lives. When faced with an uncomfortable situation, they can will themselves to forget. They also discriminate against a lamb born in winter rather than the typical spring, who George takes special care of.
One morning, George is discovered dead outside his trailer. Reporter Elliot Matthews believes it to be a murder, and encourages Tim Derry, the town's only police officer, to investigate. Tim concludes George was poisoned by one of the townspeople. Devastated by George's death, the sheep decide to solve the mystery on their own, led by crime aficionado ewe Lily, the ram Mopple who always keeps his memories, and loner Sebastian who George rescued from a carnival.
During the reading of George's will, they learn that he had a twin son and daughter who were sent away for adoption after their mother died in childbirth. The daughter, Rebecca Hampstead, reconnected with George and had just arrived from the United States to visit him for the first time. Also in attendance are Elliot, Tim, George's attorney Lydia Harbottle, Reverend Hillcoate, butcher Ham Gilyard, innkeeper Beth Pennock, and neighboring shepherd Caleb Merrow.
Lydia ousts Elliot before calling George's son, Peter Van Vuren, who lives in South Africa, so he can attend remotely. They learn George was secretly a millionaire after selling the patent for an orf medicine he invented. The new will awards his fortune to Rebecca, replacing an old will which donated $30 million to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Cloud, a member of the flock, reveals she found one of Rebecca's bangles the night of the murder, contradicting Rebecca's claim of never having met her father. The sheep lead Tim to the meadow where he finds the bangle. He then discovers the type of berry used to poison George squashed in the soles of Rebecca's boots, and she is placed under arrest.
Lily and Mopple, soon to be taken in by Caleb, visit his meadow to meet their future flock mates, but discover that Caleb has been collaborating with Ham to slaughter sheep for meat. They are chased by Caleb's German Shepherds, but Sebastian saves them, sacrificing his own life in the process. Lily realizes that death is real, and that she willed herself to forget every time a sheep close to her died.
Lily tries to lead the other sheep to safety, but they become terrified and will themselves to forget, much to Lily's dismay. Mopple encourages her to embrace her memories of their deceased loved ones. Despondent, Lily tries to forget George, but speaks to his ghost and realizes that Rebecca is innocent and has been framed by the real killer. She and Mopple recruit the winter lamb to sneak inside the jail and paint a message with his hooves.
Tim transfers Rebecca for prosecution, but suddenly realizes that she is innocent. With help from the sheep, he recalls several clues leading him to realize that "Elliot" is actually Peter, who was Rebecca's brother, and George's son and real-murderer, who murdered George by the poison drink, and forged a will to make it appear as though Rebecca had a motive for the crime, framing her so he would inherit his father's fortune as his next-of-kin when she was convicted. Peter attempts to flee, but his getaway is foiled by twin rams Ronnie and Reggie, who smash and disable his car. Peter is arrested while Rebecca is released.
Rebecca learns from Beth that her and Peter's mother was named Lily. Rebecca takes her father's surname, claims ownership of the meadow and sheep, and buys Caleb's sheep, saving them from being slaughtered. As Rebecca sits down to read to the flock, Lily adopts the winter lamb and names him George and welcomes him into the flock. She looks towards the sunset and sees a cloud resembling Sebastian.
Cast
- Hugh Jackman as George Hardy, a shepherd who is mysteriously found dead
- Nicholas Braun as Tim Derry, a clumsy local police officer
- Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews, a reporter
- Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead, George's daughter
- Hong Chau as Beth Pennock, the innkeeper
- Emma Thompson as Lydia Harbottle, George's lawyer
- Tosin Cole as Caleb Merrow, a fellow shepherd of George
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Reverend Hillcoate, a priest
- Conleth Hill as Ham Gilyard, a butcher
- Mandeep Dhillon as Postwoman Jo, a mail carrier
- Michael Wildman as Frank, a county police officer
Voices
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, a Shetland sheep trying to solve the mystery of George's death
- Bryan Cranston as Sebastian, a black Castlemilk Moorit sheep
- Chris O'Dowd as Mopple, a Merino sheep
- Regina Hall as Cloud, a North Country Cheviot sheep
- Patrick Stewart as Sir Richfield, a Boreray sheep
- Bella Ramsey as Zora, a Danish Landrace sheep with brown wool
- Rhys Darby as Wool-Eyes, a Lincoln Longwool sheep
- Brett Goldstein as Reggie and Ronnie, twin Norfolk Horn sheep
- Laraine Newman as a "fainting sheep"
- Aroop Shergill as Daisy, a lamb
- Jasper Ambrose as Oliver, a lamb
- Ishi Agrawal as Pickles, a lamb
- Tommy Birchall as George, the unnamed Winter Lamb who gets his name at the end of the movie
Production
Development
Mazin learned about the novel Three Bags Full from Lindsay Doran and found himself "enchanted by how smart, moving and philosophical it was."[6] After he wrote the first draft of the script, it took nearly a decade to secure the rights.[6]
Casting
In March 2024, it was revealed that Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, an adaptation of Leonie Swann's 2005 detective novel Three Bags Full, was in development, with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson cast in the lead roles.[7] In June, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Tosin Cole, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Conleth Hill and Mandeep Dhillon rounded out the cast. Kyle Balda would direct the film and Craig Mazin wrote the screenplay.[8] Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, and Patrick Stewart were announced as having joined the cast in April 2025.[9]
Filming
Principal photography took place from June to July 2024 in a number of locations across Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey, most notably in Ivinghoe, at White Pond Farm and in Shepperton Studios.[10][11] Visual effects for the film were completed by Framestore, and Clear Angle Studios.[12] Christophe Beck composed the film's score.[13] The film's closing theme is the 1988 song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers, remixed by Kriz Kovacs.[14]
Release
The Sheep Detectives had its special advanced preview screenings on 2 May 2026, and was released in the United States on 8 May by Amazon MGM Studios. It was originally scheduled to release on 20 February 2026, under the title Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, but in May 2025, it was pushed to 13 November 2026 to pull in more families.[8][15] In October 2025, it was reported that the film had been retitled The Sheep Detectives, and was moved to its eventual May premiere to avoid competition with the then-scheduled February 27 release of the later-delayed animated film adaptation of The Cat in the Hat.[16]
Reception
Box office
As of 21 June 2026[update], The Sheep Detectives has grossed $65 million in the United States and Canada, and $62 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $126 million.[4][5]
In the United States and Canada, The Sheep Detectives was released alongside Mortal Kombat II and Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,457 theaters during the Mother's Day weekend.[17] It made with $4 million on its first day, including $1.03 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $15.1 million, finishing in fourth.[18] In its second weekend the film made $9.6 million, finishing in fifth.[19] In its third weekend it made $9.2 million, including $12.3 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame.[20]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 191 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Drolly funny and sweet as a lamb, The Sheep Detectives is a delightful family entertainment that bundles disarmingly profound themes in a cozy package."[21]
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, and audiences polled by PostTrak gave it a 75% "definite recommend".[23]
Aparita Bhandari of The Globe and Mail said the cast is "truly an enviable cast of performers, and they deliver."[24] Harry Stainer of Empire said the film had an "abundance of pathos", which was "helped in large part by the voice cast that bring this adorable animated flock to life – especially Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Lily, Chris O'Dowd's soulful Mopple, and Bella Ramsey's high-energy, question-asking lamb."[25] Shirley Li of The Atlantic says the sheep "outshine the human characters at every turn."[26] Guy Lodge of the Variety said "the film delights" when "the sheep get to run the show" and Mazin's "script is shakiest when the action pivots to the village."[27]
Jo Berry of Digital Spy said, "Hong Chau and Emma Thompson are woefully underused, and Thompson's deliciously delivered put-downs only serve to highlight the fact that the movie is only mildly amusing, rather than uproariously funny, when she isn't around."[28] Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote "the starry voice cast delivers on all fronts, especially with lines provided by Mazin's witty and wise script."[29] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter said Jackman "proves so charismatic that it's easy to understand why George's flock would devote themselves to finding his murderer."[30]
Nate Adams of TheOnlyCritic felt the film "has no right to be this affecting, this thoughtful, or this complete, and I am deeply grateful that it exists."[31] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times called it an "enchanting film with moving messages."[32] Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times felt all elements of the film, "humor, mystery, goofiness and even sentimentality, all balanced beautifully".[33] It's a movie that treats each member of its audience with respect, no matter their age." Sam Adams of Slate says "the sheep are more engrossing than the crime they're solving, because what they're really trying to understand isn't who killed George but what it means that he's dead."[34]
Katie Walsh of The Detroit News wrote the film is "the best endorsement for exposing animals to works of mystery fiction, and an important correction to the stereotype that sheep aren't the smartest creatures in the animal kingdom."[35] Drew Munhausen of Nerdtropolis said the film was "full of wit, colorful visuals, and an absolutely delightful array of memorable sheep characters."[36]
Michael Conway of JoBlo commented that "the script commits to the ridiculousness without treating the audience like idiots, and Mazin threads that needle beautifully."[37] Nikki Baughan of Screen International said Balda "knows how to effectively stage comedic set-pieces, and – crucially – keep things moving along briskly and the energy high."[38]Tim Grierson of The A.V. Club said Balda "leads us down one path for some time" but "the final reveal hints at the cleverness and care woven into the film from the start."[39] Jim Vejvoda of IGN said the film is "a very sweet, and often quite moving, family comedy about grief and death...with the broad humor of some of the human characters being the film's weakest aspect." Kristy Puchko of Mashable called it "a big swing for its bonkers ambition."[40]
Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent said "the melodrama helps land the comedy" and "there's some real charm to be found here." "There's such deep messages I was not expecting from a movie about sheep," according to Rachel Choy of Refinery29.[41] Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe calls the film "a lovely little gem that deserves all the praise."[42] Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture says the "entire film has a wonderfully bouncy rhythm, light on its feet in its pacing, music, and cinematography, yet never overly frivolous."[43] Linda Marric of HeyUGuys says it's "a warm, whimsical film with more depth than you might expect."[44]
Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph said the film "owes an obvious debt" to the Babe films for it is "a profoundly odd viewing experience – entirely pleasant, lightly funny and easily absorbed."[45] William Bibbiania of TheWrap says it is a "remarkable family flick" that "will leave a lasting impression."[46] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian says "the murder...doesn't get swamped with sadness and shock."[47] G. Allen Johnson of San Francisco Chronicle says the movie "plays like an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" – if Jessica Fletcher were a sheep instead of Angela Lansbury."[48]
Notes
- excludes France (Amazon Prime Video)