 |
| Credit : The Sheep Detectives |
With just days to go before its theatrical release, The Sheep Detectives is already earning strong praise from critics. The new mystery film from Craig Mazin and starring Bella Ramsey has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive 93% score.
Critics are describing the film as fun, charming, whimsical, and delightfully silly, with several comparisons to Babe. Directed by Kyle Balda and written by Mazin, the film blends heartfelt storytelling with a layered murder mystery full of twists and emotional moments.
The Amazon MGM Studios production centers on a shepherd named George Hardy, played by Hugh Jackman, whose sudden murder shocks his rural community. While human investigators, media, and family members struggle to piece together what happened, George’s flock of sheep secretly takes matters into their own hooves, working together to uncover the truth behind his death.
Ramsey voices one of the sheep, Zora, alongside a star-studded voice cast that includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Chris O'Dowd, Brett Goldstein, and Rhys Darby. The human cast features Emma Thompson, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Tosin Cole, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Conleth Hill, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and Mandeep Dhillon.
Director Balda brings extensive experience in family entertainment, having worked on films such as Despicable Me, Minions, Despicable Me 3, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and The Lorax. He is joined by producers Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner.
Mazin is best known as the showrunner of the HBO hit The Last of Us, based on the video game series created by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The post-apocalyptic series follows the journey of Joel and Ellie as they navigate a world devastated by a fungal outbreak. Season 3 of the show is currently filming in British Columbia, with a projected premiere in 2027.
Ramsey gained widespread recognition for their role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, earning a SAG Award nomination, and has since appeared in projects like Holmes & Watson, Judy, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, and His Dark Materials.
Now reuniting for The Sheep Detectives, Mazin and Ramsey deliver a much lighter, family-friendly experience compared to the intensity of The Last of Us.
The film will face significant box office competition upon release, opening alongside Mortal Kombat II and the second weekend of The Devil Wears Prada 2. Just two weeks later, it will also contend with The Mandalorian and Grogu, the next installment in the Star Wars franchise.
The Sheep Detectives arrives in theaters on Friday, May 8, 2026.