Gritty Chris Hansen biopic Primetime gets early love for Robert Pattinson

Here we go again — the Venice film circuit has spat out something equal parts slick, scandalous, and absolutely soaked in nostalgia for mid-2000s TV dirt. Primetime, the first narrative feature from documentary specialist Lance Oppenheim, has already kicked up a storm following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Even before it’s landed in North America (pencil in 25 September 2026 for that), people are getting a taste — and it’s every bit as grubby as the era it’s digging up.

Primetime had its world premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and will release in North America on 25 September 2026.

Gymnastics With the Filth of Reality TV

The story plants you knee-deep in the overcaffeinated world of mid-2000s 'gotcha' telly. Oppenheim hasn’t bothered to feign subtlety — this is a razor-sharp riff on To Catch a Predator, with Robert Pattinson at the helm doing his best (or worst?) impression of the media vigilante types that made that era such a car crash you couldn’t turn off. The film’s ripped from the pages of Luke Dittrich’s 2007 Esquire piece, 'Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die', so it’s all a bit too close to the bone: ethics scraped raw, legalities played off like cheap magic tricks, and the real collateral damage just bodies under the bus of primetime spectacle.

If you’re into casting, the ensemble is about as attention-grabbing as one could muster: Anna Faris, Skyler Gisondo, Merritt Wever, Alex Winter, and — because why not — Phoebe Bridgers, all bouncing off Pattinson’s hair-trigger descent into the hell of televised justice.

Chris Hansen Sits Down… In Someone Else’s Movie

Now, if you thought the drama stopped on the big screen, think again. In one of those 'this cannot be real' turns, Chris Hansen himself (yes, that Chris Hansen), bought up pre-show ad space in cinemas running A24’s Primetime. His ad’s bang on-brand: kitchen table, disapproving tone, and an obvious call-back to his signature move. For audiences expecting the usual ads for fizzy drinks, that’s got to be a shocker.

The moment is, frankly, a bit surreal. Here’s how Hansen puts it in the commercial, leant over his kitchen table like it’s 2005:

‘I’m going to need everyone in the theatre to take a seat right over there.’

This bizarre own-goal of an ad comes after a low-simmering row with A24. Apparently, Hansen refused to sign a legal doc from the studio that would have ruled out him taking them to court, so he skipped the screening altogether. According to industry sources, he’s got legal folk weighing up options, and his first version of the advert apparently called out the film as a 'Hollywood fantasy.' He sliced that bit off in the end, maybe after a chat with calm-headed PR types.

Audience Reaction: Grit Meets Guilt

• Pattinson’s performance is already getting raved up and down Twitter/X — words like ‘electric’, ‘career-defining’, and ‘Oscar nomination’ are being thrown about, usually with a string of fire emojis.
• The film isn’t pulling punches on the media ethics stuff — multiple early viewers are calling it a hot mess in the best sense: a point-blank look at where journalism, justice, and entertainment blend together and start to stink.
• Skyler Gisondo, not to be left behind, is apparently stealing a fair few scenes. Some reckon his storyline is the most compelling bit of the whole show.
• General vibe: Primetime is a wash of poison and pop-culture nostalgia — think Safdie Brothers on a reality TV comedown. Aesthetically bold, a bit full-on, but impossible to peel your eyes away, even if you want to.

So yes, if you lived through the era where Dateline stings ruled the airwaves, or if you fancy a vicarious wallow in other people’s disgrace, Primetime is unlikely to disappoint — though it does just about everything to make sure you’ll need a long, moral shower after the credits roll.