“The Sheep Detectives” follows a shepherd named George who reads detective novels to his flock of sheep every night, but the sheep soon become detectives to solve the murder of their beloved George.
They follow leads, investigate suspects, and prove that even sheep might be brilliant crime-solvers. The film is based on Leonie Swann’s debut novel “Three Bags Full.” Craig Mazin is the screenwriter for the film. He shared with CBN News’ Studio 5 his process in turning the book into a screenplay.
“Leonie Swann wrote this beautiful novel with this amazing premise. It’s the kind of thing you think, ‘What? Ok, I’ll read that’,” Mazin said. “What I wasn’t expecting is how moving this story was, how beautiful it was, and how much I felt it lures you in with the sheep and then takes you by surprise and that’s what I really wanted to keep going with the movie.”
Hugh Jackman, who plays the shepherd George, told CBN News’ Studio 5 why he took on the role.
“I guess because I’m a father. George is like a father to these sheep. And I’m 1 of 6 children, so I’m used to a father who had to sort of support, love, give equal attention to find out the problems of each one, understand each one individually. Now as a shepherd, there’s more like 500, but still, what I love about this is the way George really loves each one for their uniqueness and lets them see that. And so, I think that’s what really connected me,” Jackman said.
WATCH the STUDIO 5 SPECIAL on ‘The Sheep Detective’
Nicholas Braun plays the role of Police Officer Tim Derry. Tim wants to prove himself to a town who thinks he is incompetent. Braun told CBN News’ Studio 5 why this role was important to him.
“The fact that Tim’s like the hero of the film, who starts as kind of like a loser who finds himself in the course of the movie. I was like, ‘I would love; I need to play this part. I need to be in a movie like this.’ I felt like it just checked so many boxes like an endearing film, funny film, and all of that. It’s really like saying something. The messages are really special,” Braun said.
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices the role of Lily the Sheep, a part she felt drawn to portraying.
“First of all, the script is incredibly unusual. It’s not derivative. I mean, it’s certainly got genre, various genres threaded into it. Mystery. Action… However, the details of this story are so bizarre, fantastical, and whimsical. That’s what really drew me to it,” Louis-Dreyfus told CBN News’ Studio 5.
“The Sheep Detectives” is in theaters nationwide.
