PRIMETIME

Primetime Brings Robert Pattinson Into the World of To Catch a Predator

In 2006, Chris Hansen turned hidden-camera investigations into must-see television.  And now, we're about to learn the real story.

Primetime stars Robert Pattinson as Hansen in a new crime thriller inspired by the television phenomenon To Catch a Predator, which became one of the most talked-about segments of NBC's Dateline during the 2000s.

The original investigations used online decoys and hidden cameras as men expecting to meet underage teens arrived at staged homes, only to find Hansen waiting for them. The confrontations became a cultural phenomenon, combining investigative journalism, law enforcement and television in a way audiences hadn't seen before.

Primetime goes behind that phenomenon as Hansen sets out to make television history while the line between journalism and entertainment becomes increasingly complicated.

Rather than simply recreating familiar moments from the television series, the film explores the world surrounding its creation and the ethical questions raised when real investigations, public confrontation and television ratings collide.

Pattinson leads a cast that also includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine, with Bridgers making her feature acting debut.

Directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature debut, Primetime takes audiences back to a moment when Hansen and To Catch a Predator weren't simply covering a story — they were changing the way true crime and reality television could intersect.

And the bigger the show became, the more complicated that story became.

Primetime arrives in theaters September 25, 2026.