The Sheep Detectives cast & characters: Meet the stars behind the film and the roles they play

The Sheep Detectives is an upcoming live-action and animated comedy directed by Kyle Balda, known for his work on the Minions movies.

Scheduled to be released in theaters on May 8, 2026, the film stars Hugh Jackman as a shepherd named George and Emma Thompson as his lawyer. The film also features a group of voice actors to play the sheep, such as Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Patrick Stewart.

The Sheep Detectives is based on the international bestseller Three Bags Full, a German mystery novel written by Leonie Swann in 2005. The book tells a unique story where a flock of sheep becomes the main investigators after their shepherd is found dead. It was praised for its clever humor and original perspective, eventually being translated into over thirty different languages for readers around the world.

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Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and more to star in Kyle Balda's The Sheep Detectives

A still from the film's trailer (Image via YouTube/Amazon MGM Studios)

In The Sheep Detectives, Hugh Jackman plays the role of George Hardy, a kind-hearted shepherd who cares for his flock. George has a unique habit of reading murder mystery novels aloud to his sheep every night, unaware that they can actually understand him and enjoy debating the stories.

The plot twists when George is found dead under mysterious circumstances, prompting his intelligent sheep to use the detective skills they learned from him to solve his murder.

Hugh Jackman is most famous for his portrayal of Logan / Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, a character he played for over two decades. He recently made a massive return to this role in the 2024 blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. Up ahead, Jackman is set to appear in several projects besides The Sheep Detectives, such as Song Sung Blue and The Death of Robin Hood.

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Emma Thompson in the film's trailer (Image via YouTube/Amazon MGM Studios)

In The Sheep Detectives, Emma Thompson plays the role of George’s lawyer. Not much has been revealed about the character she plays; however, early reports confirm she is a lead character who likely helps handle George's affairs after his mysterious death.

The two-time Academy Award recipient is known for several notable performances, such as her role in the Harry Potter film series, where she played the eccentric teacher of Divination. She is also known for playing Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, a film for which she also won an Oscar for writing the screenplay.

In late 2025, she starred in the survival thriller Dead of Winter and in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. She also recently appeared in the Apple TV+ mystery series Down Cemetery Road, playing a private investigator.

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Supporting cast of The Sheep Detectives

Listed below are all the supporting cast and characters in the film:

• Regina Hall as Cloud
• Bryan Cranston as Sebastian
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily
• Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews
• Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead
• Bella Ramsey
• Brett Goldstein
• Patrick Stewart as Sir Ritchfield
• Rhys Darby
• Nicholas Braun as Tim Derry
• Chris O'Dowd as Mopple
• Hong Chau as Beth Pennock
• Conleth Hill
• Mandeep Dhillon
• George Harris as Charlie Roberts
• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
• Tosin Cole
• James Wright as Barbershop Customer
• Stella Stocker as Dorothea
• Ben Youcef as Joseph
• Joshua Hill as Bertie Hollingshead
• Raj Ghatak as Cornelius Stopford
• Oliver Gale as Teenager at Fairground

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The Sheep Detectives is scheduled to hit the on theatres on May 8, 2026.

Edited by Suchita Patnaha