Chris Hansen Calls Robert Pattinson's Impression "Overly Dramatic" — and Says A24 Wouldn't Let Him Watch the Film

Chris Hansen has seen the trailer for Primetime, the upcoming A24 drama-thriller in which Robert Pattinson plays him, and his verdict is measured: overly dramatic, but not bad. "There's a pretty good imitation in the trailer," Hansen told Entertainment Tonight, adding that his wife and family agreed (Variety).

The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim and distributed by A24, dramatises Hansen's years as host of Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator, the hidden-camera segment that lured would-be sexual predators to staged stings. A24's official synopsis keeps it spare: "In 2006, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history" (A24). Merritt Wever and Skyler Gisondo round out the cast listed on A24's site. The film is set for release on 25 September 2026 in the United States (A24).

Hansen's concern is not the mimicry itself but what the script puts in his mouth. "He's saying things I never said and doing things I never did, and that's not who I am," Hansen told Variety. He emphasised that the film is a work of fiction only based on real-life events (Variety). Reps for Pattinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There is also a dispute over whether Hansen was allowed to see the finished film at all. Hansen told Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime that when he arrived at A24's offices for a private screening, lawyers handed him a legal agreement he was expected to sign first. He said the document would have signed away rights to his name, image and brand, as well as potential legal claims arising from the movie. Hansen said he could not sign, and so they did not show him the film (Variety).

A source close to A24 offered a simpler explanation: Hansen was asked to sign the same non-disclosure agreement that every preview audience member must sign for an unreleased project (Variety).

What makes the friction unusual is the subject. To Catch a Predator was itself a show about confrontation — cameras hidden, doors opening, questions that left no room for evasion. Now the man who asked the questions is the one on screen, played by an actor whose every line he disputes. The film arrives in theatres on 25 September.