The Big Picture

Amazon’s upcoming movie
Three Bags Full
has star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson.
Director Kyle Balda will bring the sheep detective film to theaters worldwide on February 20, 2026.
The movie is based on the book by Leonnie Swan.

Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming production, Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, appears to be making headway with production with its ensemble cast list officially revealed by Deadline. The live-action movie directed by Kyle Balda (Minions: The Rise of Gru) is set to star an extraordinary list of actors, and will be released in theaters worldwide on February 20, 2026. Hugh Jackman(The Greatest Showman) serves as lead actor in the new film and is joined by Emma Thompson (Matilda the Musical), Nicholas Braun (Succession), Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea of You), Molly Gordon (Theater Camp), Hong Chau (The Whale), Tosin Cole (Supacell), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Wonka), Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones) and Mandeep Dhillon (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

As for the crew team, Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie will be produced by Lindsay Doran and Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner while Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Aditya Sood and Tim Wellspring will executive produce. The project will also mark Balda’s live-action feature debut following his acclaimed work on successful animations like Minions: The Rise of Gru, Despicable Me 3 and Minions.

‘Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie’ Will Be Much More Complicated Than The Book

As an adaptation of Leonie Swann’s international bestseller of the same name, Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie will follow Jackman’s George Hardy, a shepherd who cherishes his sheep and rears them only for their wool. George reads a murder mystery to his sheep every night, imagining they can understand but never for once suspecting that they indeed get what he reads and argue for hours afterwards. So when he is found dead under mysterious circumstances, the sheep immediately realize that he was murdered and believe they can figure out how to solve it. Ultimately, they decide to solve the mystery themselves after realizing the local cop Tim Derry’s (Braun) lack of skill in investigating such a serious crime.

Unlike Swann’s 2005 novel, Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie will not be so simple but will be true to the storyline. The book, also Swann’s debut novel, was published in Germany with the original title Glennkill. It gained widespread attention in no time, topping the German bestseller charts for months and amassing multiple accolades, including a PETA Award.

The film adaptation is set to be released in early 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates.