Stephen King just crowned Hugh Jackman’s The Sheep Detectives his must-see movie of 2026
Every so often you get one of those celebrity film endorsements that actually makes you stop and pay attention—not just the usual, 'Oh, so-and-so liked it too', but one where you think, 'Hang on, maybe there’s something here.' Well, the latest shoutout comes from none other than Stephen King, who has thrown his full weight behind 2026’s most unlikely hit: The Sheep Detectives, starring Hugh Jackman.
King took to X (still annoyingly called 'formerly Twitter' in headlines, even though no one’s going back to calling it Twitter) on 6 July, answering a nudge from thriller writer Linwood Barclay. Barclay had recommended the film the day before, telling his followers, 'The Sheep Detectives. Seriously. You have to see it.' King, apparently not one for half-measures, replied with praise of his own:
I did. Loved it. Sheep don't die, they turn into clouds. Can I recommend NORMAL? It's like FARGO Lite.
All right, that first bit is pure Stephen King—slightly surreal, oddly profound. But the upshot is, he’s officially a fan. The tweet promptly took off, racking up more than 200,000 views and over 2,500 likes. Clearly, people are here for King’s sheep-based life lessons.
What Exactly Is The Sheep Detectives?
If you’ve missed this one, you’re not alone—it’s got one of those utterly bizarre premises that sounds like a fever dream. The film is directed by Kyle Balda (yep, him of Minions fame), with a script penned by Craig Mazin, who adapted it from Leonie Swann’s 2005 novel Three Bags Full.
Here’s the setup: a group of sheep decide to investigate the murder of their shepherd, George Hardy (played by Jackman, apparently leaning all-in).
The Line-Up
- Hugh Jackman as George Hardy, the late lamented shepherd
- Nicholas Braun, Hong Chau, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, and Emma Thompson turn up in supporting roles
- And, in case you wanted extra surrealism, the voices behind the sheep themselves: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, and Sir Patrick Stewart
Not your bog-standard murder mystery, then.
Box Office, Streaming and Critical Reaction
The film landed in US cinemas on 8 May and has racked up nearly $130 million globally—quite the haul on a $75 million budget, given the competition this summer. As of 24 June, it’s on Amazon Prime Video, where it's quickly shot up the streaming charts.
Critically, The Sheep Detectives has been the sort of darling that gets both audiences and reviewers on side—which, frankly, rarely happens. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s sitting at a robust 95% positive from 195 critics. That’s better than plenty of self-serious Oscar hopefuls. Over on IMDb, it's hanging around the 7.5 out of 10 mark, while Metacritic chips in with a solid 72 out of 100, and CinemaScore reports audiences are leaving the multiplexes giving it an A-minus.
King also took the opportunity to plug Normal ('It's like FARGO Lite'), so evidently, he’s running his own weekly recommendations column at this point.