The excellent first trailer for Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompsonâs sheep-centric murder mystery has arrived. The Sheep Detectives, which is based on the novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, follows a flock who investigate the murder of their shepherd.
In the first look, we see Jackmanâs character George Hardy attending to his (CGI) sheep, even reading them murder mystery novels â which captivate the secretly anthropomorphic animals.
However, they have a real case on their hands when George is found dead, with the flock causing all manner of havoc with the locals as they try and find the culprit⊠who may have been motivated by $30 million in his will.
We also get a look at the characters, including Thompsonâs high-flying lawyer and a policeman (played by Successionâs Nicholas Braun, here with an English accent). Also starring are Mary & Georgeâs Nicholas Galitzine, The Bearâs Molly Gordon and The Night Agentâs Hong Chau.
Thereâs also an impressive voice cast for the sheep, including Breaking Badâs Bryan Cranston, Veepâs Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Black Mirrorâs Chris OâDowd, One Battle After Anotherâs Regina Hall and Jackmanâs X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart.
The synopsis reads: âWhen 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 (Nicholas Braun), on the other hand, has never solved a serious crime in his life.
âSo, 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 isnât as simple as it appears in books.â
The Sheep Detectives has been written by The Last of Usâ Craig Mazin, with Minionsâ Kyle Balda directing.
The movie, which is due out next year, comes off a busy 2025 for Jackman and Thompson, the former recently starring in musical drama Song Sung Blue, while the latter has appeared in thriller movie Dead of Winter and Apple TV series Down Cemetery Road.
The Sheep Detectives is due out in UK cinemas on 8 May, 2026.


