- Hugh Jackman, Bryan Cranston, Emma Thompson
- May 8th 2026
- Kyle Balda
A flock of sheep investigate the sudden death of their owner George and helps a local police officer solve the case.
The murder-mystery genre has been done to death (pun intended), so how do you find a new way in and make it feel different and fresh? Swap human detectives for sheep, of course!
The Sheep Detectives, based on Leonie Swann’s novel Three Bags Full, combines digitally-animated sheep with live-action humans.
The main live-action human is shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), who is suddenly found dead in his meadow. While local police officer Tim (Nicholas Braun) initially chalks it up to a heart attack, several of his sheep – and reporter Elliot (Nicholas Galitzine) – suspect foul play.
Sheep Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Mopple (Chris O’Dowd) and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) lead the charge, using what they’ve learned from George’s murder-mystery novels to narrow down the suspects and solve the case.
There are many suspects to consider, from a mysterious newcomer called Rebecca (Molly Gordon) to fellow farmer Caleb (Tosin Cole), a butcher (Conleth Hill), innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau) and a priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith).
The Sheep Detectives is a funny, charming comedy for all the family with a stellar voice cast and a solid murder-mystery that keeps you guessing to the very end.
The sheep are brought to life brilliantly via CGI, and it’s delightful watching them conduct their own investigation and try to communicate their findings to Tim without being able to talk (they can speak to each other, but humans only hear bleats).
With that many characters, it’s no surprise that some of them don’t get much to do or have an opportunity to shine, however, audiences are coming for the sheep, not the humans.
The standout humans are Succession star Braun, who really nails the film’s lighthearted tone and the energy of the bumbling British fool (his accent isn’t too bad either), and Emma Thompson as the well-dressed, no-nonsense lawyer.
Over on the sheep side, the most memorable members of the voice cast are Patrick Stewart, who brings wisdom to old sheep Sir Ritchfield, and Brett Goldstein, who is laugh-out-loud funny as the hilariously tough guy sheep Ronnie and Reggie.
The Sheep Detectives, written by Chernobyl and The Last Of Us scribe Craig Mazin and directed by the Minions helmer Kyle Balda, has a top sense of humour and is a lot of fun. Ewe don’t want to miss this great family film!
In cinemas from Friday 8th May
By Hannah Wales
© Cover Media