Robert Pattinson Transforms Into Chris Hansen for A24’s Provocative New ‘Primetime’ Trailer

A24 has built a reputation on backing filmmakers willing to tackle uncomfortable corners of American culture, and its newest project might be one of the studio’s boldest swings yet. Ahead of its high-profile festival debut, the studio has finally pulled back the curtain on a film that’s been quietly generating buzz since it was first reported back in 2024.

Robert Pattinson continues to build one of the more unpredictable filmographies in Hollywood, jumping between blockbuster franchises and strange, auteur-driven projects with equal enthusiasm. This latest role finds him tackling a real television figure whose legacy remains deeply contested nearly two decades after his show first aired.

A24 has released the official trailer for ‘Primetime‘, Lance Oppenheim’s upcoming drama starring Robert Pattinson as ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen, ahead of the film’s world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival. The studio previously released a teaser back in May, but this marks the first full-length look at the project, also starring Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers, who makes her acting debut in the film.

The film’s official logline reads simply: “In 2006, ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history.” That framing points directly to the real Dateline NBC series, which ran from 2004 to 2007 and used hidden-camera sting operations across the country to confront adult men who arrived expecting to meet minors after online conversations with decoys posing as children.

The show’s legacy remains deeply divisive, particularly following a 2006 incident in which Rockwall County assistant district attorney Bill Conradt died by suicide as police and the show’s crew approached his home with search and arrest warrants, despite Conradt never having traveled to meet the decoy in person. That controversy, along with broader questions about the ethics of the show’s methods, appears to sit at the center of what ‘Primetime’ is exploring dramatically.

In the trailer itself, Pattinson delivers Hansen’s signature catchphrase, “I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC — and you’re about to be a part of television history,” while also voicing a more introspective, unsettled question that hints at the film’s psychological angle: “What would have happened if I wasn’t here?” That mix of bravado and self-doubt suggests the film is less interested in simply recreating the show than in interrogating the man and the media machine behind it.

‘Primetime’ marks director Lance Oppenheim’s first narrative feature after building a career on documentaries examining unconventional corners of American subculture, including ‘Some Kind of Heaven’, ‘Spermworld’, and HBO’s ‘Ren Faire’. Oppenheim wrote the screenplay alongside Ajon Singh, and the film was shot in New Orleans in early 2025 under the working title “Bluefin Tuna” before its identity was revealed.

Pattinson also serves as a producer on the project alongside Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fred Berger, Brighton McCloskey, Lars Knudsen, and Tyler Campellone, with the film produced through Range Media, Icki Eneo Arlo, and Square Peg. The project arrives amid a genuinely packed year for Pattinson, who also has roles lined up in ‘The Drama’, ‘The Odyssey’, and the upcoming ‘Dune: Part Three’, though industry buzz has already pegged ‘Primetime’ as his strongest potential awards contender of the bunch.

With its Venice premiere set for next month and a wide theatrical release scheduled for September 25, ‘Primetime’ looks poised to be one of the fall’s more talked-about and polarizing releases.

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