Key Points
Animated mystery comedy based on Leonie Swann's novel
Sheep become amateur detectives after shepherd's mysterious death
Star-studded cast including Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun
Directed by Kyle Balda of Minions fame
The clip from the film included plenty of sheep. "The movie is a bit of a whodunit, which is always fun," Jackman said in one behind-the-scenes clip. "The movie has such heart," as per The Hollywood Reporter.
'Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie' is an upcoming live-action animated mystery comedy thriller film directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin.
It is based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. It stars Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Tosin Cole, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
Directed by Balda, is known for Minions, Despicable Me 3, the story finds Jackman playing George Hardy, a shepherd who loves his sheep and raises them only for their wool. Every night he reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand but never suspecting that not only can they understand, but they also argue for hours afterward about whodunit, as per the outlet.
When George is found dead under mysterious circumstances, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it. The local cop Tim Derry, played by Succession star Nicholas Braun, on the other hand, has never solved a serious crime in his life, so the sheep conclude they will have to solve it themselves -- even if it means leaving their meadow for the first time and facing the fact that the human world isn't as simple as it appears in books, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The cast also includes Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart, with Hong Chau and Thompson. The film is based on the novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, originally published in 2005.
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie is set for release in theaters on February 20, 2026, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Comments:
Okay this sounds absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way! Hugh Jackman solving crimes with sheep? I'm 100% here for it. The cast is stacked too! 🐑✨
I read the book years ago and never imagined it would become a movie. Curious to see how they handle the sheep POV scenes. Hope they don't overdo the CGI.
Emma Thompson AND Patrick Stewart?? This cast is unreal. I'd watch them read the phone book, but solving sheep crimes is even better 😂
Not sure about this concept... seems like it could either be brilliant or a total mess. But with Hugh Jackman involved, I'm willing to give it a chance.
February 2026?! That's so far away 😭 But the wait will be worth it for this amazing cast. Also, sheep detectives is the genre I never knew I needed.
Respectful criticism: I hope they don't make the sheep too anthropomorphic. The charm of the book was how they were still sheep, just unusually clever ones.
