The Sheep Detectives first trailer promises a hilarious murder mystery with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson

Kyle Balda's The Sheep Detectives first preview just dropped, giving fans a sneak peek into the story of sheep turned detectives. The Sheep Detectives arrives in theaters on May 8, 2026, blending suspense throughout.

Hugh Jackman plays George, a lone shepherd stuck in the same daily routine of reading crime stories to the sheep. He doesn’t realize the herd remembers each twist and clue from those tales.

The trailer opens slowly, with George handling the sheep softly. However, peace fades fast. George lies still out in the field; nobody knows why. His passing becomes a big puzzle, one that sets everything else in motion.

The sheep, once uncertain, begin trying tricks from old crime stories they'd stumbled upon. Instead of waiting, they act fast after guessing their shepherd won't return. Using fragments of fictional detective logic, they attempt to identify suspects and motives. Their efforts are often misguided, but their determination to uncover the truth remains strong.

The synopsis reads:

“Every night a shepherd reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it.”

Several moments in the trailer highlight conversations among the sheep, including one scene where a member of the flock dismisses the local investigation as ineffective. This decision pushes the animals to conduct their own inquiry, reinforcing the film’s playful yet sincere tone.

While the concept leans heavily on comedy, a clear emotional layer lies beneath the humor. The sheep’s loyalty to George and their innocent view of human behavior add depth to the story. Rather than offering clear answers, the trailer emphasizes confusion, flawed reasoning, and the complexity of coping with genuine loss.

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The Sheep Detectives (2026): Production and creative direction

A still from the movie (Image via YouTube/ Amazon MGM Studios)

The Sheep Detectives marks Kyle Balda's first leap into live-action, swapping cartoons like Minions: The Rise of Gru for something different. Crafted by Craig Mazin, this story is inspired by an earlier novel, Three Bags Full.

Fragments of the film were shown at CinemaCon; meanwhile, Hugh Jackman, sitting next to Emma Thompson, shared details about the film. Thompson said it felt sincere, a blend where critter moments connected to genuine emotions.

“It was, as you’ll see from the clip, the most fantastic, loving, beautiful idea, this synthesis between animals and people.”

Jackman also added:

''The movie is a bit of a whodunit, which is always fun. The movie has such heart.”

The film’s being brought to life by Lindsay Doran, along with Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner on board, with Amazon MGM handling its distribution to viewers.

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The Sheep Detectives (2026): Cast overview

Jackman stars alongside Emma Thompson, with Nicholas Braun and Molly Gordon also appearing in the film. The animated sheep are brought to life through digital effects. Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices them, with Bryan Cranston contributing in a role similar to Chris O’Dowd. The voice cast also includes Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, and Rhys Darby.

The new trailer introduces us to The Sheep Detectives for the very first time, hinting at a cinema release scheduled for 2026.

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Edited by Toshali Kritika