Shadow Realm (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

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Shadow Realm follows investigators Eisler and Komlatschek as they search for answers after Oberländer is critically injured and left in a coma. A trail of revenge leads them into an abandoned juvenile home, where unsettling chess inscriptions point toward a buried mystery.

Shadow Realm is a 2026 German crime film directed by Michael Schneider. The story begins with a violent chase that leaves investigator Micha Oberländer critically injured and in a coma, forcing his colleagues to pursue the case without him.

As Mara Eisler and Thomas Komlatschek follow a bloody trail of revenge, their investigation takes them to an abandoned juvenile home hidden deep in the woods. The ominous chess inscriptions covering its walls suggest that the location holds important clues.

Shadow Realm movie details

Story without spoilers

Micha Oberländer’s life is threatened after a violent chase ends with him critically injured and in a coma. While he is unable to take part in the investigation, Mara Eisler and Thomas Komlatschek work to uncover who is responsible and what motive lies behind the violence.

Their search reveals a pattern of revenge and leads them to an abandoned juvenile home in the woods. There, disturbing chess inscriptions add another layer to the case, raising questions about the history of the place and the meaning behind its carefully placed clues.

What to expect

Shadow Realm is framed as a crime mystery built around an active investigation, a missing explanation for a violent attack and a trail connected to revenge. Its setting moves from the aftermath of a dangerous chase to an isolated juvenile home, giving the story a secluded location for its central clues.

The chess inscriptions provide the film with a distinctive mystery element, while Oberländer’s coma creates an immediate personal stake for Eisler and Komlatschek. The film has a listed runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes and is presented in German.

Cast and creative team

Matthias Koeberlin plays Micha Oberländer, with Anna Werner Friedmann as Mara Eisler and Hary Prinz as Thomas Komlatschek. The cast also includes Stefan Pohl as Thomas Egger, Helmut Berger as Joseph Hadeling, Katharina Haudum as Anna-Lena Hadeling, Harry Lampl as Jasper Bell, Fiona Neumeier as Luna Oberländer, Dominic Marcus Singer as Flavius Werger and Jacob Speidel as Lukas Hanauer.

Michael Schneider directs the film. The screenplay is credited to Roland Heep, Frank Koopmann and Jeanet Pfitzer.

• Matthias Koeberlin as Micha Oberländer
• Anna Werner Friedmann as Mara Eisler
• Hary Prinz as Thomas Komlatschek
• Stefan Pohl as Thomas Egger
• Helmut Berger as Joseph Hadeling
• Katharina Haudum as Anna-Lena Hadeling
• Harry Lampl as Jasper Bell
• Fiona Neumeier as Luna Oberländer
• Dominic Marcus Singer as Flavius Werger
• Jacob Speidel as Lukas Hanauer

Release and production context

Shadow Realm, originally titled Die Toten vom Bodensee – Im Schattenreich, is listed as a 2026 release with a release date of August 31, 2026. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes and is spoken in German. The production companies are Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Graf Filmproduktion, ZDF and ORF.

Production companies: Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Graf Filmproduktion, ZDF, ORF

Shadow Realm official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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With its investigation into a violent attack, a revenge-driven trail and a deserted juvenile home marked by chess inscriptions, Shadow Realm sets up a contained German crime mystery. Its central question is how these clues connect to Oberländer’s fate and the people being pursued by Eisler and Komlatschek.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb