Berlin, January 8, 2026
“Checker Tobi” Premiere Marked by Loss as Team Mourns Two Crew Members
The upcoming release of “Checker Tobi 3 – The Secret Ruler of the Earth” is bittersweet, shadowed by the recent deaths of two key figures involved in its production.
- Tobias Krell, known as Checker Tobi, returns to screens January 8, 2026, with a new film focusing on climate change.
- The film team is mourning the loss of author Linda-Shiva Klinkhammer, who died in a tragic accident in Portugal last year.
- Johannes Honsell, a key figure in the “Checker Tobi” series, passed away in December 2023 after a battle with cancer.
Tobias Krell is set to reprise his role as Checker Tobi in “Checker Tobi 3 – The Secret Ruler of the Earth,” which will premiere in German and Austrian cinemas on January 8, 2026. As with his previous two films, Krell tackles the pressing issue of climate change. However, the anticipation surrounding the release is tempered by profound sadness within the production team.
A Double Tragedy Strikes the Production
The film will open with a dedication “For Johannes and Linda,” honoring two crew members who tragically passed away during the making of the movie. The losses have deeply affected those involved in the project.
Linda-Shiva Klinkhammer, the film’s author, died last year following a tragic accident in Portugal. Reports indicate she fell from a tree while on location. She was only 32 years old.
This loss comes after the death of Johannes Honsell, who succumbed to cancer in December 2023 at the age of 45. Just weeks after Honsell’s passing, the second installment in the series, “Checker Tobi and the journey to the flying rivers,” received the Bavarian Film Prize in the “Family Entertainment” category and was also nominated for the German Film Prize.
