‘Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie,’ Starring Hugh Jackman, Gets February 2026 Release Date From Amazon MGM Studios
Amazon MGM Studios’ “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie” has started principal photography and landed a worldwide theatrical release date of Feb. 20, 2026.
The live-action comedy stars Hugh Jackman, flanked by an ensemble cast including Emma Thompson (“Matilda the Musical”), Nicholas Braun (“Succession”), Nicholas Galitzine (“The Idea of You”), Molly Gordon (“Theater Camp”), Hong Chau (“The Whale”), Tosin Cole (“Till”), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (“Wonka”), Conleth Hill (“Game of Thrones”) and Mandeep Dhillon (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”).
More from Variety
The film follows George Hardy (Jackman), a shepherd who loves his sheep and raises them only for their wool. Every night he reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand, never suspecting that not only can they understand, but they argue for hours afterwards about whodunnit.
When 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, so 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 isn’t as simple as it appears in books.
Kyle Balda is directing the film, which will be produced by Lindsay Doran and Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. Executive producers are Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Aditya Sood and Tim Wellspring. Craig Mazin wrote the screenplay, which is based on Leonie Swann’s 2005 international bestseller.
Balda, known for directing “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” “Despicable Me 3” and “Minions” as well as co-directing “The Lorax,” makes his live-action feature directorial debut with “Three Bags Full.”
Mazin is best known for creating, writing and producing the HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” and co-creating, co-writing and executive producing the HBO series “The Last of Us.” He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards. Before his work on drama shows gained widespread attention, he was primarily known for his writing work on comedy films such as “Scary Movie 3,” “Scary Movie 4,” “The Hangover Part II,” “The Hangover Part III” and “Identity Thief.”
Balda’s creative collaborators on “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie” include director of photography George Steel, production designer Suzie Davies, costume designer Rosa Dias, hair and make-up designer Sharon Martin and editor Paul Machliss. Graham Page is the visual effects supervisor and George’s flock of sheep will be created by Framestore.
Thompson is represented by Hamilton Hodell and CAA. Braun is represented by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Galitzine is represented by the U.K.’s Curtis Brown Group, WME, Anonymous Content, The Lede Company and Gang, Tyre, Ramer and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Gordon is represented by WME, Shelter PR and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. Chau is represented by CAA, The Lede Company and attorney Mitch Smelkinson of Stone, Meyer, Genow, Smelkinson & Binder. Cole is represented by Curtis Brown, CAA, Ed Smith at Sherpa, Tapestry and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Cole. Holdbrook-Smith is represented by Independent Talent and Color Creative. Dhillon is repped by CAA, Conway Van Gelder and 42West. Mazin is represented by CAA and attorney Gretchen Rush. Swann is being represented by Agentur Poppenhusen, acting in cooperation with Created By and Paul & Peter Fritz AG.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.