Hugh Jackman’s New Movie Has a Bunch of Talking Sheep Solve His Murder

A murder mystery that needs to be solved by ovine observers is not something we had on our 2026 movie bingo card, but here we are.
Sheep Detectives stars Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine), at least momentarily, as a shepherd; after he’s murdered, his flock becomes determined to solve the whodunnit. Written by Craig Mazin (The Last of Us ) and directed by Kyle Balda (Minions: The Rise of Gru), the film follows talking animals who take matters into their own hooves to avenge their fallen friend.
And if you thought Jackman was the big name here, he’s joined by a stacked ensemble of voice actors including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patrick Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, Rhys Darby, and Brett Goldstein.
Here’s the charming trailer that, honestly, adds The Sheep Detectives onto our must-watch list:
Truly, a concept that we can get behind, which we’re excited to see maybe even go reverse John Wick with the sheep taking out the baaad guys.
The live-action cast is pretty stacked too, as Nicholas Braun (Succession) plays the hapless policeman on the case, herding the suspects played by Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea of You), Molly Gordon (The Bear), Hong Chau (Watchmen), and Emma Thompson. This is just ridiculous chaos in the best possible way.
The Sheep Detectives will be released May 8, 2026.
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