Hugh Jackman’s Sheep Detective 2 Is Unlikely To Happen, According To Writer Craig Mazin

Hugh Jackman‘s hit detective movie is unlikely to get a sequel, despite a strong Rotten Tomatoes score.

Jackman has developed a reputation as a strong and versatile actor, prepared to take on roles that are interesting, unique, and offbeat. As one of the most popular and successful actors currently working in Hollywood, Jackman remains one of the A-list stars who command strong viewership and critical acclaim, and has won a Golden Globe for his work.

One of Jackman’s most recent successes is the mystery-comedy film, The Sheep Detectives. Adapted from the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, the movie follows a flock of sheep who team up to solve the murder of their shepherd. The Sheep Detectives was directed by Kyle Balda, and written by The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin.

The movie debuted on May 8 in the United States and has grossed $59 million against a budget of $75 million. Despite the modest box office return, the film received a strong Rotten Tomatoes score, securing a critics rating of 94% and an audience rating of 96%. The Sheep Detectives is a charming and whimsical comedy-drama with a big heart, and Jackman anchors it with a strong and authoritative display.

However, per Slash Film, despite the movie’s critical acclaim, it appears that The Sheep Detectives 2 is not on the cards, at least according to writer Mazin. The Chernobyl writer revealed that, despite the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes success, he does not foresee a sequel, suggesting that he wants the movie to stay as a one-off. Check out Mazin’s comments below:

I know that there is a sequel to the book, so would you be interested in more “Sheep Detectives?”

I’ve written a lot of sequels in my life, I don’t know if I have more in me. [laughs] I don’t know. I will say that it’s a very interesting experience to watch this movie. Normally, when I worked on movies, I would write a script, and then we would shoot the script, and then I would watch with an audience, and it was all like a bundled experience. But because I wrote the script 10 years ago — and made changes along the way, but not huge ones — I watch this movie now and there’s some separation, which is actually quite lovely. I can enjoy it because there is a little bit of a separation from the experience of writing, which is usually very painful, and the experience of watching the movie, which in this case is a delight. And I think it’s a gem. So, I don’t know. Would I want to go back and do that again? Maybe if this connects with people the way I think, in a strange way, I would want to probably just take a little bow and walk away.

His comments illustrate the disconnect that comes with writing a screenplay and the finished movie, and how the experiences differ in many ways. While there is a sequel book, Mazin’s comments suggest that this is source material he feels he has moved on from, although he was quick to point out that the door is not completely closed on a follow-up.

This is the first movie adapted from a screenplay by Mazin since 2016’s The Huntsman: Winter’s War, and he may simply be in a different place creatively than the one he was in when writing The Sheep Detectives. Mazin had a notable background in comedy movies, penning the scripts for the successful comedy sequel The Hangover Part II and Scary Movie 4, but Chernobyl marked a move into more dramatic storytelling.

The box office performance of The Sheep Detectives might also be a contributing factor to the movie not receiving a sequel, but it’s more likely that Mazin simply wants to explore other projects. While a sequel could materialize in the future, for now, the movie should be treated as a standalone, and enjoyed as a complete piece of work.

The Sheep Detectives

7/10

Release Date

May 8, 2026

Runtime

109 Minutes

Director

Kyle Balda

Writers

Craig Mazin, Leonie Swann