The Sheep Detectives looks absolutely charming. Clearly, it got a title change dictated by a studio marketer. Based on a German novel titled Three Bags Full, The Sheep Detectives may hold plot surprises, but not premise surprises. Sometimes, you do want to see a movie that’s exactly what it says it is, as long as it’s well written.
It may be a palate cleanser for screenwriter Craig Mazin. If the name rings a bell, it’s because he’s created and co-created two compelling but depressing HBO Max dramas — Chernobyl and The Last of Us. When I met Craig long, long ago, he had just directed a superhero mockumentary, The Specials, and would go on to write Superhero Movie. It’s nice to see him return to comedy.
This is also a belated excuse to note that Craig has co-hosted one of the best podcasts about screenwriting with John August. Scriptnotes has recently been adapted (?) into a guide to screenwriting that may become one of the must-have texts on the subject.
From Amazon MGM Studios:
In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.
Directed by: Kyle Balda
Screenplay and Screen Story by: Craig Mazin
Based on the novel by: “Three Bags Full” by Leonie Swann
Produced by: Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Executive Producers: Sarah-Jane Wright, Amelia Granger, Aditya Sood, Tyson Hesse, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Tim Wellspring
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon with Hong Chau and Emma Thompson
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby
Genre: Family, Mystery, Comedy
Rating: PG for thematic material, some violent content and brief language
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