Hugh Jackman is dominating on Prime Video.
Jackman will be best known to many for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, a role he most recently reprised in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Outside of superhero fare, though, Jackman regularly crisscrosses across genres, starring in grimy and gritty period pieces like The Death of Robin Hood (2026), colorful musicals like Song Sung Blue (2025), and even lending his voice to animated shows like Rick and Morty, Human Resources, and The Simpsons. His new film is yet another genre surprise.
Hugh Jackman’s 10 Best Movie Roles That Aren’t Wolverine
Hugh Jackman has delivered amazing performances over his career, and with Sheep Detectives coming out, here are his best roles other than Wolverine.
Following its theatrical release earlier this year, the Jackman-starring The Sheep Detectives has ascended to become the second most popular movie on Prime Video globally. The mystery comedy film, which released on the platform on June 24, beats Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025), My Fault: London (2025), and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026), falling only behind Your Fault: London (2026).
Directed by Kyle Balda with a script from Craig Mazin and Leonie Swann, The Sheep Detectives stars Jackman as George Hardy, a shepherd who reads murder mystery stories to his sheep every night. When Hardy himself turns up dead, the sheep suspect foul play and attempt to solve the murder themselves.
The film features a surprisingly stacked cast, including Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, Brett Goldstein, Bella Ramsey, Chris O’Dowd, Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rhys Darby, and Nicholas Braun. Most of these actors, however, feature in the film in voice only and help give life to the titular sheep.
Despite the slightly wacky premise, the whodunnit has been a critical darling. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film features a glowing score of 95% from critics, with the audience-driven Popcornmeter coming in even higher at 96%.
ScreenRant‘s own The Sheep Detectives review from Brandon Zachary was a little softer at seven out of 10, but he still praises the film’s charming mystery elements and cozy atmosphere. Zachary also has positive things to say about the strong voice performances and sheep VFX, even if some of the human characters lack depth. He writes:
The Sheep Detectives is neither a riveting story nor a mystery that wholly reinvents the genre. Instead, it is at its best when leaning into that soft, fairy-tale core, with big emotional swings that largely land thanks to the earnest writing and solid voice performances. The direction by Kyle Balda is solid enough during the comedy, although it does feel fairly pedestrian in the more dramatic moments. The big reveal at the end also underwhelms visually, even as it does have some intriguing beats.
Despite a strong critical reception, The Sheep Detectives didn’t light up the box office. Made on an estimated budget of $75 million, the film has grossed $126 million worldwide, meaning it likely has not yet reached profitability. That being said, it is displaying strong holds at the box office weekend-to-weekend, and strong word-of-mouth could really be helping it here.
The Sheep Detectives‘s streaming success speaks to Jackman’s enduring appeal as a leading man, and audiences are evidently finding plenty to enjoy about the farm animal mystery movie. It remains to be seen whether the film’s success will continue in the weeks and months ahead, but the combination of Jackman, talking sheep, and a murder mystery plot is clearly one that can work on streaming.
- Release Date
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May 8, 2026
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
- Director
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Kyle Balda
- Writers
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Craig Mazin, Leonie Swann
- Producers
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Eric Fellner, Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan