Updated Aug. 18, 2026, 1:18 p.m. ET
Chris Hansen has some questions about “Hollywood’s motive” behind a new film about him.
In an interview on the “Serialously with Annie Elise” podcast, the former “To Catch a Predator” host, 66, weighed in on the upcoming movie “Primetime,” which dramatizes his controversial “Dateline NBC” segment dedicated to busting potential child predators. Robert Pattinson plays Hansen in the film from A24 and director Lance Oppenheim, which takes place in 2006 and follows the show’s rise to popularity.
On the podcast, Hansen said he hasn’t seen the movie and had no involvement with its creation, as he was not asked to consult. But he said he’s keeping an open mind until viewing the finished product.
“I’m going to get a private screening in the next week or so, and then I’ll be able to tell you whether I like it or don’t like it, and how dramatized it is,” he said. “My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise. And until I see the full movie, as a reporter, it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven’t seen yet.”
Hansen did, however, see the trailer for “Primetime,” which he said looks “very dramatic.” He added, “I know that [Robert Pattinson is] a very popular actor. I know that the director’s a popular guy. But I also have some questions. What’s Hollywood’s motive here? We don’t know. But I’ll find out, and I promise I’ll let you know.”
Hansen also noted he “didn’t get to choose” the actor playing him in the movie. When asked who he would have cast, he said he always thought “Denis Leary would be a good guy to play me, depending on the age of it all.”
Hansen hosted “To Catch a Predator,” a series of investigations as part of “Dateline NBC,” from 2004 to 2007.
Conducted in conjunction with the watchdog group Perverted-Justice, the investigations involved undercover adults posing as minors in online chat rooms to catch potential child predators, who are invited to a house where they believe the minor is home alone. When they arrive, they are confronted by Hansen and arrested by police.
The show drew controversy, and was ultimately canceled, after a 2006 incident where Bill Conradt, an assistant district attorney in Texas, died by suicide when police, accompanied by a camera crew, arrived at his home to execute a search warrant amid a “To Catch a Predator” investigation. NBC settled a $105 million lawsuit out of court.
Since “To Catch a Predator” ended, Hansen has gone on to host similar shows dedicated to catching child predators in various online and streaming venues.
“Primetime” also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, Bokeem Woodbine and Anna Faris. The plot synopsis reads simply, “In 2006, ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history.”
The film is set to make its debut at the Venice Film Festival before hitting theaters on Sept. 25.
