For the second time in 2026, A24 and Robert Pattinson appear to have made movie magic. Earlier this year, Pattinson starred opposite Zendaya in the box office hit The Drama, and his next project, Primetime, finds the acclaimed actor embodying the infamous To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen during his quest for primetime TV supremacy in the 2000s. Today, A24 has released the full trailer.
Primetime, which hits theaters on September 25, is the narrative debut for Lance Oppenheim, who is more known for his documentary work (Some Kind of Heaven, HBO’s Ren Faire). Inspired by real events, Primetime tackles Hansen’s child predator-catching series, which premiered in 2004 and became a massive hit for Dateline NBC, bringing 10s of millions of viewers during its peak.
The series was controversial, largely due to the methods employed to lure predators to a home. In Primetime, you get to not only see the intense focus and eerie drive Hansen employed to make this show a success, as well as the escalation of the operation—which went from just having Hansen come out and spook the predators to having police on hand to arrest and charge them. Throughout all of this, Pattinson’s Hansen is the puppet master. He’s employing a unique voice for his portrayal, with the film having viewers ride shotgun on Hansen’s quest for ratings supremacy, seemingly no matter what the cost.
It’s an interesting film to drop at this time; clips of predator catches from organizations such as Dads Against Predators and streamers like JiDion have regularly gone viral, sometimes due to the violent or embarrassing circumstances the predators find themselves in. Documentaries like 2025’s Predators—which features an interview with Hansen—highlight the lineage of predator catch content, and it all goes back to Chris Hansen. Primetime may turn the lights extra bright on the situation, but it’s a valid story to tell today, with the resurgence of predator catch content hitting modern audience.
Check out the trailer for Primetime up above; between this, The Odyssey, The Drama, and Dune Part Three, Pattinson currently has all of the motion. Primetime’s world premiere will be held at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival; the rest of us can see the film when it hits theaters in September.
