Robert Pattinson Hopes Chris Hansen Likes ‘Primetime’

Robert Pattinson said he hopes Chris Hansen sees and likes “Primetime,” the Venice Film Festival thriller inspired by Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator” work. This account is based on reporting by Variety.

At the film’s Saturday press conference, Pattinson said Hansen’s influence on the character was meant as “some kind of compliment.” Hansen has criticized the trailer as “overly dramatic” and said he had not watched the film after declining to sign A24’s standard NDA, according to Variety.

Directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative-feature debut, “Primetime” is set in the mid-2000s and follows Hansen’s era hosting Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator.” The film is loosely based on the 2007 Esquire article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die” and examines the overlap of journalism, policing and entertainment.

Phoebe Bridgers makes her acting debut as a decoy in the film. Whether Hansen watches the completed movie or responds to it remains unknown.