There are a number of exciting movies hitting theaters this weekend, including Kyla Balda’s The Sheep Detectives. The book to screen adaptation features an all-star cast, and is a comedy murder mystery that’s a mixture between Babe and Knives Out. Nicholas Braun plays bumbling local police officer Tim Derry in the new movie, and spoke to CinemaBlend about the way his agent convinced him to join the unconventional project.
Critics have been praising The Sheep Detectives, thanks to its mixture of comedy and moving story of grief. Braun is one of the main human characters and, as you can see above, the Succession star told me how he got involved. As he put it:
My agent sent it to me and he was like, ‘Hear me out. You know, it’s a sheep solving a murder mystery and you work with the sheep, read it. But also Craig Mazin wrote it and Lord and Miller are producing it, and Hugh Jackman has signed on to play the Shepherd. And you know, Kyle Balda’s directing it, who’s made these really massive animated family films. But he knows how to do all this.’ So I was kind of set up to love it. And then I really did. And I think the heavier themes, the grief and loss and all of that, they’re amazing themes to explore in a family film.
He’s not wrong. The Sheep Detectives has SO much going for it on paper. Director Kyle Balda’s credits include beloved Illumination films like Minions and Despicable Me 3, while writer Craig Mazin has recently worked on acclaimed TV projects like Chernobyl and The Last Of Us (streaming with a HBO Max subscription). Add in an emotionally-driven story and a stellar cast of actors led by Hugh Jackman, and it’s not wonder why Braun ended up signing on. And he seems particularly proud of how the story was brought to life.
The Sheep Detectives trailer definitely highlighted the comedy that comes from the cast of Sheep as they try to solve their Shepard’s murder. But the story is also very much about grief, and the importance of honoring those feelings, rather than pushing them down. Nicholas Braun went on to speak to me about the movie’s balance of heart and laughs, saying:
I think I was really moved reading it. I had high hopes as we were making it and then seeing the finished film it exceeded my hopes. I think it’s just really special. And yeah, it deals with all that stuff. The levels it’s playing with are really great. It surrounds these heavier things with comedy and character and great actors. And you know, it’s a colorful movie; it’s fun to look at. Like, the setting is great. But the fact that it goes there really makes the movie I think is as special as it could be.
While at first glance The Sheep Detectives just looks like a fun comedy with talking sheep, it’s so much more than that. Like Nicholas Braun, I was moved by its story, and how it handled difficult subjects like grief. And I think it might join the ranks of kids movies that devastate audiences, such as The Lion King or Up. Although I think the movie is also worth watching for anyone who has ever lost a loved one.
The Sheep Detectives is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. Nicholas Braun is joined by some A+ live-action talent including Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Galitzine, and Hong Chau. And that’s to say nothing of its voice cast.
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