Robert Pattinson transforms into Chris Hansen in A24's Primetime

If you grew up on Dateline NBC in the 2000s, that flat, measured Chris Hansen voice is burned into your brain forever. 'Why don't you have a seat right there.' Now A24 wants to put you back in that house, except this time it's Robert Pattinson doing the sitting down.

Project Big Screen

@ProjBigScreen

Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen from ‘To Catch a Predator’ in the first trailer for Lance Oppenheim’s ‘PRIMETIME’ Hitting theaters September 25th. Thoughts?

The film comes from Lance Oppenheim, making his narrative feature debut after building a reputation in documentaries, with a script from Ajon Singh reportedly based on reporting by Luke Dittrich. According to The Wrap, it's less a straight biopic and more a psychological crime thriller — following Hansen as his show climbs toward primetime and his hunt for bigger, more high-profile targets starts to look like its own kind of obsession. That's a much darker angle than the goofy meme energy 'To Catch a Predator' usually gets online.

The supporting cast is stacked too: Anna Faris, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine are all attached, per The Wrap. Ari Aster is one of the producers, which tracks given the unsettling tone the trailer is going for. A24 has 'Primetime' set for theaters on September 25.

None of this is coming out of nowhere for Pattinson, either. Between this and his other 2026 output, some fans are already floating the idea that he's putting together one of the best single-year stretches an actor has had in a while.

Kenjac

@JackKennedy

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this COULD be one of the greatest single years for an actor ever

That's the kind of take that invites pushback, and it probably will once the film actually screens. But going from playing Batman to playing one of the most recognizable — and now, apparently, most unsettling — figures from mid-2000s true-crime TV is a genuinely wild range flex. Whether 'Primetime' turns Hansen into a tragic figure or something creepier, the trailer alone has people talking, and that's before a single review is out.