Robert Pattinson Brings ‘To Catch a Predator’ to Life in New Film ‘Primetime’ – WTOP News
- On Friday, September 25, 2026, the A24 film Primetime opens in theaters, starring Robert Pattinson as television journalist Chris Hansen. The movie dramatizes the rise and collapse of the NBC series To Catch a Predator.
- Running from 2004 to 2008, the series featured Hansen working with Perverted-Justice to lure suspected predators into sting houses, generating 238 apprehensions, though only 36 resulted in convictions.
- Director Lance Oppenheim explores the show's dark reality through the eyes of Decoy Dan, a struggling actor played by Skyler Gisondo, depicting the production's intense pressure to deliver sensationalist content.
- Following the show's abrupt 2006 cancellation after a subject's suicide, Hansen criticized the film as an "insult," claiming the movie depicts events that did not occur in reality.
- Critics highlight the film's stylistic use of early-2000s aesthetics to mirror the era, though the movie faces scrutiny regarding its ambiguous stance on whether it critiques or exploits trauma.
149 Articles
149 Articles
Chris Hansen Says 98% of ‘Primetime’ Is Pure Fiction, Gives Robert Pattinson D Rating
Chris Hansen had a seat and watched "Primetime" ... and he scathingly called the film "over the top" and Robert Pattinson's version of himself "so detached, so unhinged, so dark, so unlikable." In a special episode of his podcast "Have a Seat" ...… Permalink
In 2004, the provocative format “Catching a Predator” was released, combining investigation, police action and telereality; today it revives on the big screen of the actor’s hand that could win an Oscar for the role
Robert Pattinson reveals ‘strange’ condition behind starring in ‘Primetime’
Robert Pattinson reveals ‘strange’ condition behind starring in ‘Primetime’ Robert Pattinson only agreed to star in Primetime when the project became “more esoteric and strange.”The Twilight actor stars as journalist Chris Hansen in the movie, directed by...
‘To Catch a Predator’ Host Chris Hansen Criticizes Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’ After Watching the Film
'To Catch a Predator' Host Chris Hansen Criticizes Robert Pattinson's 'Primetime' After Watching the Film Chris Hansen, the TV journalist who became a household name as the host of NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” has publicly shared his negative response to “Primetime,” the 2025 thriller starring Robert Pattinson that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Hansen, whose career has focused…
Chris Hansen Gives 'Fever Dream' Primetime a D Grade, Announces His Own Documentary 'I am Chris Hansen'
Chris Hansen says he was more confused than offended by Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, and is answering this dramatized version of events with his own documentary.
Chris Hansen Finally Saw 'Primetime', Still Not A Fan
After weeks of providing A24’s Primetime with free press, Chris Hansen has finally seen the Lance Oppenheim-helmed thriller. On Friday, the former To Catch a Predator host teased his reaction after catching a screening of the movie, which is now in theaters, based on Esquire‘s depiction of Hansen in the 2007 article “Tonight on Dateline […]
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