Chris Hansen saw none of “Primetime”, the A24 film in which Robert Pattinson plays him, because he refused to sign the studio’s screening NDA. The 66-year-old former To Catch a Predator host arrived at A24’s offices for a 10 a.m. private viewing ahead of the film’s Venice premiere, and left before the first frame ran.
What is the ‘Primetime’ movie about?
The “Primetime” movie follows Hansen in 2006, as To Catch a Predator grows from a recurring Dateline NBC segment into its own primetime block. Lance Oppenheim directs — his first narrative feature — from a script by Ajon Singh, inspired by Luke Dittrich’s 2007 Esquire feature “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die”. A24 markets the film as “inspired by true events” and has stopped short of calling it a biopic. Pattinson stars and produces through his Icki Eneo Arlo banner; he is also set to reprise Batman in The Batman Part II. Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers and Bokeem Woodbine fill out the cast.
Why didn’t Chris Hansen see ‘Primetime’?
Hansen told the story on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime.
“The lawyers at A24 wanted me to sign away my rights to my name, image and brand essentially, as well as any potential legal rights that would come out of the movie. I couldn’t sign that, so they didn’t show me the film. I went all the way over there.”
Chris Hansen
His own lawyers reviewed the paperwork and advised against signing.
“This was a very restrictive agreement. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
Chris Hansen
A source close to A24 told Variety that Hansen was asked to sign the same standard NDA every preview audience signs, mostly to stop spoilers and protect the studio’s intellectual property. A24 declined to comment.
The visit marked a turn from a few days earlier. Hansen had told the Serialously With Annie Elise podcast that A24 was arranging a private screening “in the next week or so”, after which he would judge how the film treated his career, as Deadline reported. He is adamant he has no financial stake — no fee, no consulting credit — and says he found out about the production the way he has found out about most things in four decades of reporting. “I find stuff out.”
His frustration, he says, is less about the film than the timing. “I get a call today saying, ‘Well, you know, everybody’s concerned. They want you to be happy with the film.’ Well, then why didn’t you tell me about it when you started shooting the film?”
When does ‘Primetime’ come out?
The “Primetime” movie premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 5 and opens in US theatres on September 25; IGN also covered the exchange. A UAE release date has not been confirmed. Asked what he would say to Robert Pattinson, Hansen reached for the line that made him famous. “Take a seat right over there.”
What is the A24 film ‘Primetime’ about?
It follows Chris Hansen in 2006, as To Catch a Predator becomes its own primetime block on NBC. Robert Pattinson plays Hansen; Lance Oppenheim directs from a script by Ajon Singh, inspired by Luke Dittrich’s 2007 Esquire feature ‘Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die’.
Why didn’t Chris Hansen watch ‘Primetime’?
He refused to sign the NDA A24 asked of him before the private screening, saying it would have made him sign away his rights to his name, image and brand. His lawyers advised against signing, so he left without seeing the film.
When does ‘Primetime’ come out?
It premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2026, and opens in US theatres on September 25. A UAE release date has not been confirmed.
