When you hear a movie pitched as "Babe meets Knives Out," it’s hard not to be intrigued. That’s exactly how writer Craig Mazin sold his wildly inventive new script to Hugh Jackman. The result is The Sheep Detectives, a charming, star-studded murder mystery that has everyone talking.
Ahead of the film's global release, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Hugh for Radio Nova. Broadcasting from Sydney right on the stroke of midnight, we discussed his surprising new role, the frustration of narrowly missing out on working with British legend Emma Thompson, and a late-night craving for one of Australia's most iconic breakfast dishes.
The Sheep Detectives follows George, a solitary shepherd who loves reading detective novels to his flock. When George meets an untimely end, the sheep decide to take matters into their own hooves to solve the crime.
I had to ask Hugh about stepping into the boots of George—a far cry from Wolverine or P.T. Barnum. For him, the decision was a no-brainer.
"When I read this script, I actually, if I'm honest, I thought this was one of the most perfect scripts I've read," Hugh told me. "Craig Mazin... just did something—it was pitched to me as Babe meets Knives Out—and I was like, 'Okay, that sounds so crazy, how the hell do you pull that off?' And he does. He makes you laugh and cry, and it's fun, and it's heartwarming."
While Hugh joked that his career is "downhill from here," he admitted that playing the doomed shepherd left him wanting just a little bit more screen time:
"I absolutely loved it. I just probably wish I was on screen a little more."
The journey to bring The Sheep Detectives to the big screen has been a long time coming. The film is based on German author Leonie Swann’s cult 2005 novel Three Bags Full, which became an international smash hit and was translated into 30 different languages. With a screenplay penned by Craig Mazin and direction from animation veteran Kyle Balda (Despicable Me 3, The Lorax), the project officially shot in the UK from June to July 2024. The production transformed several picturesque English counties—including Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, and Surrey—into the fictional village of Denbrook. Major filming took place at Ivinghoe, White Pond Farm, and the legendary Shepperton Studios. Adding to the authentic farm feel, the production even utilized a real-life rare Norfolk Horn ram from Somerset alongside the digital creations!
This charming pivot to cozy-crime comedy comes during an incredibly busy and eclectic stretch for Hugh’s film career. After breaking box office records by throwing the claws back on for Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024, he went on to star in the Neil Diamond-inspired Song Sung Blue in 2025. And he’s not slowing down after his stint as a shepherd, either. He’s already in post-production for A24's upcoming release The Death of Robin Hood, a darker, brooding take on the classic tale co-starring Jodie Comer, which he also produced.
While Hugh anchors the human cast alongside stars like Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, and Nicholas Galitzine, the real detectives of the movie are, of course, the sheep. The film features an incredible ensemble of Hollywood heavyweights providing the voices of the flock, elevating the talking-animal trope to brilliant new heights.
Comedy legend Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices Lily, a highly intelligent Shetland sheep who takes the lead in solving the mystery of George's death. Bryan Cranston lends his voice to Sebastian, a surly, black Castlemilk Moorit sheep. The Irish representation is strong with Chris O'Dowd voicing Mopple, a sage Merino sheep, while Regina Hall voices the glamorous North Country Cheviot sheep, Cloud. The cast is rounded out by Sir Patrick Stewart as Sir Richfield (a Boreray sheep), Bella Ramsey as Zora (a Danish Landrace sheep), Brett Goldstein as twin Norfolk Horn sheep Reggie and Ronnie, and Rhys Darby as Wool-Eyes, a Lincoln Longwool sheep.
The magic of Hollywood meant Hugh didn't actually get to trade lines with his A-list co-stars on set. In fact, during production, most of the voice cast hadn't even been hired yet! Instead, the filmmakers relied on incredible practical puppetry to give him a physical scene partner.
"I did have on set an actor reading behind a puppeteer who was puppeteering a very lifelike sheep that looked exactly like Lily," Hugh explained.
He praised the work of Tom, one of the mastermind puppeteers behind the legendary stage production of War Horse.
"There was no acting required. It was a good thing. I don't think a lot of the voice cast were even cast at that point. We didn't know exactly who it was going to be. But what I had to act with was incredibly lifelike and real, and an actor was talking to me and it was amazing. Easy."
The film’s live-action cast also features legendary British actress Emma Thompson. However, fans hoping to see Hugh and Emma share the screen will be disappointed—and honestly, so was Hugh.
"I am friendly with Emma Thompson and we've been wanting to work together for a while," he shared. "So this was frustrating because I heard she was in it and then I went reading the script going, 'Oh, we actually don't have one scene together.' I was saying this is so frustrating. So I saw her at rehearsals but not once [on set]."
Because no chat with Hugh Jackman is complete without a little Aussie banter, we had to talk about food. Since I was calling in from Sydney at midnight, I decided to flex my late-night delivery order: the famous ricotta hotcakes from Bills in Surry Hills.
If you aren't familiar with Australia's vibrant café culture, Bills was founded by the late, great chef Bill Granger, often dubbed the "godfather" of avocado toast. Bill made breakfast an absolute institution in Sydney, and his signature dish—fluffy, cloud-like ricotta hotcakes served with bananas and a rich honeycomb butter—is world-renowned.
The dish even reached global superstar status when Oprah Winfrey revealed she "walked 4 miles" just to try them while visiting Sydney—a direct recommendation from none other than Hugh himself!
While tourists and locals alike are known to stand in long queues outside of Bills cafes in Sydney, I happily pointed out that I didn't have to wait in line or walk four miles like Oprah. Thanks to modern delivery apps, I had them at my door in 10 minutes, right in the middle of our interview.
"I am very, very jealous," Hugh laughed, looking at my midnight feast.
Before we signed off, the legendary Aussie delivered one final piece of expert advice for anyone eating those famous hotcakes:
"You've got to put some maple syrup on that though. Come on, man."
Catch Hugh Jackman in The Sheep Detectives, first in Irish cinemas this bank holiday weekend May 2-4 and then in cinemas everywhere on May 8, 2026.
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