The Sheep Detectives

The Sheep Detectives is an upcoming 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 is scheduled to be released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International on 8 May 2026. The film received positive reviews from critics.

A flock of sheep set off to solve the mystery of who murdered their beloved shepherd.

• Hugh Jackman as George Hardy, a shepherd who is mysteriously found dead

• Nicholas Braun as Tim Derry, a clumsy local policeman

• Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews, a reporter

• Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead, George's daughter

• Tosin Cole

• Hong Chau as Beth Pennock

• Emma Thompson as Lydia Harbottle, George's lawyer

• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as a priest

• Conleth Hill as a butcher

• Mandeep Dhillon

• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, a Shetland sheep that becomes the de facto leader in solving 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

• Brett Goldstein as Reggie and Ronnie, twin Norfolk Horn sheep

• Rhys Darby as Wool-Eyes, a Lincoln Longwool sheep

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. 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. Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, and Patrick Stewart were announced as having joined the cast in April 2025.

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. Visual effects for the film were completed by Framestore, and Clear Angle Studios. Christophe Beck will score the film.

The Sheep Detectives is scheduled to be released in the United States on 8 May 2026. It was originally scheduled to release on 20 February 2026, under the name Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, but in May 2025, it was pushed to 13 November 2026 to pull in more families. In October 2025, it was reported that the film had been retitled The Sheep Detectives, and was moved up to its current date to avoid competition with the upcoming animated film adaptation of The Cat in the Hat.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 24 critics' reviews are positive. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Drew Munhausen of Nerdtropolis said the film was "full of wit, colorful visuals, and an absolutely delightful array of memorable sheep characters." Tim Grierson of 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." 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." Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent said "the melodrama helps land the comedy" and "there’s some real charm to be found here." Harry Stainer of the 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." 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." Jo Berry of Digital Spy says "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." Pete Hammond of Deadline says "the starry voice cast delivers on all fronts, especially with lines provided by Mazin’s witty and wise script." Robbie Collin of the Telegraph says 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." William Bibbiania of TheWrap says it's a "remarkable family flick" that "will leave a lasting impression." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian says "the murder...doesn’t get swamped with sadness and shock." Adam Courtliff of RedCarpetCrash says the film's "exploration of grief, memory, and the overall processing of losing loved ones is handled with incredible care, whilst also not shying away from the fact mortality is a thing." Joseph Holmes of World News Group said this film is "one of the most entertaining family movies I’ve seen in a while." Mark Keizer of MovieWeb says Mazin’s script "runs along undemanding, traditional lines, but it’s often craftier than it seems."

• Official website
• The Sheep Detectives at IMDb