Chris Hansen weighs in on Robert Pattinson's To Catch A Predator movie

Primetime is the latest attempt from Hollywood to spin your TV memories into cinema gold, and this time it’s the infamous Dateline NBC segment, To Catch a Predator, getting the big screen treatment. If you somehow missed the original, it was that slightly lurid bit of 2000s telly in which Chris Hansen (now played by Robert Pattinson, because sure, why not) would ambush men who thought they were meeting underage boys or girls, only for them to be greeted by television cameras and police waiting round the corner. Whole thing was gripping, slightly grubby, and undeniably of its time.

The trailer for Primetime dropped in August and set social media on fire — not least because Pattinson, forever known as moody vampires and emo Batmen, is trying out a voice apparently unlike anything he’s done before. A lot of people have opinions there, let me tell you.

Hansen’s Backseat Role

Now, you might assume Hansen himself picked who'd play him in the film. Not so. He actually talked about this with Annie Elise on her podcast, and if you expected any big Hollywood phone calls, you’ll be disappointed. Years back, Hansen wrote his own script and reckoned Denis Leary (from Rescue Me) seemed a fit. Apparently, Leary's the image Hansen had in mind — though at 69, he's older than Hansen ever was during the dateline years. Shame, in a way. For the film itself, Hansen was largely left out until the last minute.

Here’s what Hansen told Elise about his lack of a say in the casting:

A couple months ago, they came and said, ‘Hey look, we’re doing this, we’d like you to have some sort of consideration in terms of helping us with this,’

That outreach, though, came after the film was already in the can. So, Hansen’s involvement is minimal — essentially, more of a passing nod than any deep creative role. He’s admitted he hasn’t seen it yet, and guesses his name was a handy brand for the filmmakers. To be fair, not the first time that's happened in the industry.

Pattinson’s Performance & Hollywood’s Motives

If you watch the trailer, it’s obvious this isn't just nostalgia. The film looks… dramatic. Quite a lot, actually. Pattinson is going full method with a voice that already has the internet in knots, and judging by the way the teaser's been dissected, the film's definitely angling for its pound of internet forum discussion.

Hansen himself seems a bit bemused — he’s aware the film’s meant to be hard-hitting, and slightly wonders what the real angle is. Here’s how he put it when talking about the project’s ambitions and sensibilities:

It looks dramatic. It looks very dramatic. I know [Robert Pattinson] is a popular actor, and I know the director [Lance Oppenheim] is a popular guy. I also have some questions: What’s Hollywood’s motive here?

Can’t really blame him. If Hollywood’s pattern holds, the answer’s probably 'to make money.' And judging from online hype around the trailer, Primetime has every chance of raking it in when it hits UK cinemas this September (that’s Friday, 25 September, in case you’re pencilling it in).

Primetime opens in theaters on Friday, Sept. 25.

That probably sets up a healthy box office, regardless of whether anyone involved really 'gets' what made the original show so bizarrely compelling.

How Far Will It Go?

Where it gets properly dark is in the film’s apparent approach to Hansen. He’s shown not as a crusading journalist, but as a man chasing television ratings with a near-obsessive flair. Reportedly, the script won’t shy from the show’s most infamous episode: the incident involving Kaufman County assistant district attorney Bill Conradt. For those who don’t recall, Conradt had been caught in the NBC sting’s online net, but never turned up at the house. The TV team, with cameras and police, went to his home instead, resulting in Conradt taking his own life. Afterwards, the huge backlash prompted NBC to pull the plug entirely. It was the moment when a mere TV gimmick turned properly tragic — and it looks like Primetime is planning on going there.

Interestingly, if you want more detail on that real-life fallout, Paramount+ has a recent documentary called Predators which digs into the same events. If you’re after a non-fiction take, it might be worth a peek.

• Primetime stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen
• Lance Oppenheim directs
• Based on events from 2004-2007's To Catch a Predator on Dateline NBC
• Key episode: Bill Conradt case, which led to show's cancellation
• Denis Leary was Hansen's personal pick, but never cast
• Hansen not directly involved in the making of the film
• Expected release: Friday, 25 September 2026