Taylor Swift has teased her new “Patient Zero” music video, revealing Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell as co-stars ahead of its world premiere at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
Swift shared the 13-second first look on Thursday 24 September, offering brief glimpses of a dark, cinematic video featuring the three stars, a cemetery, rushing water and Swift in tears. The full video will premiere at the VMAs in Los Angeles on Sunday 27 September.
Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell star in Patient Zero
The teaser gives fans only a few seconds of footage, but it introduces Johnson and Farrell alongside Swift.
Among the images shown are Swift washing her hands, two people falling into water, a black rose, two women standing near a gravestone and Swift appearing visibly emotional. The clip also features all three stars together in an unexplained scene.
The brief preview has deliberately kept the video’s storyline under wraps, leaving plenty of room for speculation around how the three characters are connected.
Taylor Swift directs Patient Zero
Swift is directing the “Patient Zero” video, continuing her work behind the camera on her own music projects.
The video features cinematography from Oscar-winning filmmaker Emmanuel Lubezki, whose credits include Birdman, Gravity and The Revenant.
The combination of Swift’s direction, Lubezki’s cinematography and the presence of Johnson and Farrell gives the project a distinctly cinematic setup.
The teaser also marks another visual project from Swift arriving during the rollout of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore.
Patient Zero video to premiere at the 2026 MTV VMAs
The full “Patient Zero” music video will make its world premiere during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday 27 September.
The VMAs will take place in Los Angeles, with the ceremony airing on CBS and MTV and streaming on Paramount+.
Swift is also set to receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, a new award recognising music artists whose directorial work has advanced visual storytelling.
She is also nominated in multiple categories at this year’s ceremony, adding another major Swift moment to an already busy VMAs night.
The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore adds four songs
“Patient Zero” will arrive on Friday 25 September as part of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore, an expanded edition of Swift’s 12th studio album.
The Encore edition adds four tracks:
- “Patient Zero”
- “Cleveland!”
- “Pink Clouding”
- “Babylon”
Swift announced the expanded edition earlier this week, describing the additional songs as coming from the same creative period as the original album.
The new single will therefore be available before the full music video arrives at the VMAs, giving fans the chance to hear “Patient Zero” ahead of its cinematic debut.
When is Taylor Swift’s Patient Zero video out?
The “Patient Zero” music video will premiere during the 2026 MTV VMAs on Sunday 27 September.
The song itself will be released on Friday 25 September as part of The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore.
With Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell and Emmanuel Lubezki involved, the teaser suggests Swift is taking the visual side of the Showgirl era in a more cinematic direction, although the full story behind the video remains unknown until its premiere.
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