Oscar buzz for Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’ called ‘an insult’ by Chris Hansen, condemning Hollywood exploitation

In a new interview, Chris Hansen said he turned down an A24 invitation tied to Primetime and hasn’t seen the finished film, adding that the studio, according to his account, asked him to sign paperwork involving rights to his name, image and brand, along with potential legal claims connected to the movie. He objected to what he sees as a dramatic spin on the dangerous, nuts-and-bolts work behind To Catch a Predator , the NBC investigations he fronted in the mid-2000s.

“I think it ’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators.”

Hansen told The Hollywood Reporter he’s uncomfortable with the way the story has been fictionalized without his input and compared the tone to a horror film. He said he appreciates Robert Pattinson ’s public comments hoping the movie adds to Hansen’s legacy, but he’s not on board with the approach.

The pushback lands as Primetime builds heat off its Venice premiere this month, with Pattinson both starring as Hansen and serving as a producer.

What the movie covers

Directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature debut and written by Ajon Singh, the film revisits To Catch a Predator at its 2006 peak. Rather than a straight biopic, it looks at the machinery around the NBC program and the blur between journalism, TV spectacle and ratings pressure as the show chases a coveted primetime slot.

• Robert Pattinson — Chris Hansen
• Merritt Wever
• Skyler Gisondo
• Phoebe Bridgers
• Matthew Maher
• Bokeem Woodbine

Pattinson has publicly defended the film’s broader creative lens on the era; Hansen, for his part, questioned why the team dramatized the story without consulting him and said he declined to be involved under the terms presented to him.

Primetime premiered at Venice on September 5 and opens in U.S. theaters September 25 via A24.