Primetime opens in theaters on September 25, 2026. Robert Pattinson plays Chris Hansen at the height of the television host’s To Catch a Predator fame. A24 places the story in 2006, when the Dateline NBC segments were drawing huge attention and raising difficult questions about how the stings were made.
Lance Oppenheim directs. A24 lists Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine alongside Pattinson. The official synopsis is short: Hansen sets out to make television history. The film is a drama inspired by real events, not an episode of Dateline or a documentary about the show.
Pattinson was attached before he took the lead role
Pattinson told reporters at the Venice Film Festival that he first worked on Primetime as a producer. As the project developed, he became interested in playing Hansen himself.
“I was trying to mold the part to be the best part to play for somebody else.”
He later took the role, saying Hansen’s recognizable voice took work to get right. Oppenheim had previously directed documentaries, and Primetime is his fiction feature debut. The film premiered at Venice earlier this month before A24 set its US theatrical opening.
The real events behind the movie are serious
The film draws on a 2007 magazine investigation by Luke Dittrich about a 2006 To Catch a Predator operation in Texas. Bill Conradt, an assistant district attorney whom the operation targeted, died by suicide as police arrived at his home. That death is part of the history the filmmakers are drawing from. It should not be treated as a twist or a piece of entertainment trivia.
Chris Hansen has said he was not involved in the movie and has objected to its portrayal of him. Our earlier story on Hansen’s response explains that dispute. Viewers should not assume every scene in a scripted drama happened exactly as shown.
When and where can you watch it?
A24 lists September 25 as the theatrical release and offers ticket information on its film page. Actual cinemas and showtimes depend on your location. A streaming service or home-release date has not been announced. The Primetime movie page has the official cast and release details.
Primetime arrives with an unusual combination of a well-known TV figure, a tragic real case and a filmmaker whose past work often examined people performing for a camera. The release will finally let audiences see how the finished movie handles that material.
