A new documentary will investigate the culture surrounding the terror plot that forced the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, as well as the way fans responded in the aftermath.
According to Variety, the documentary will examine the ISIS-inspired terror threat behind the cancellation of three Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows in Vienna in 2024—and how Swifties came together despite the danger.
The three concerts were called off in August 2024 after authorities discovered that a man planned to attack fans gathered outside Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. Investigators said he intended to use knives and homemade explosives to “kill as many people as possible.”
Austria’s privacy laws mean the suspect has been identified only as “Beran A.” He allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and worked with other Islamic State members to obtain weapons and coordinate attacks at locations around the world. Intelligence officials uncovered the plan, prompting Austrian authorities to cancel all three performances.
The documentary, which is being developed under the working title “Taylor Swift Wien,” will explore how the teenage suspect was “fueled by online radicalization and a desperate need for validation,” Variety reported.
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“He had been kind of radicalized through TikTok,” Georg Tschurtschenthaler, chief creative officer at Germany’s Beetz Brothers, told Variety. “There is a new generation of young Islamic terrorists that is growing worldwide who are steeped in social media and different from the old terrorists trained in Al Qaeda camps.”
After the concerts were canceled, thousands of Swifties—including fans who had traveled from across the globe—gathered together for sing-alongs, friendship-bracelet exchanges and meetings with local leaders. The film will contrast that largely female fan community with the toxic masculinity that helped shape the terror plot, Variety said.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” Swift wrote on Instagram after the cancellations. She thanked the authorities, adding that their actions meant “we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
Beran A. pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in an Austrian court in April 2026 and received a 15-year prison sentence. During the hearing, he said, “I would just like to say that I am sorry.”
The documentary is scheduled to premiere in Germany in 2027, followed by an international release.
