Chris Hansen is weighing his legal options when it comes to Robert Pattinson‘s upcoming film Primetime, based on Hansen’s To Catch a Predator series.
Pattinson stars as Hansen, 66, in the film, which distributor A24 says is “inspired by true events.” It’s based, in part, on the 2007 Esquire article, “Tonight on Dateline, This Man Will Die,” as well as Hansen’s series, in which he and his camera crew targeted alleged child predators with filmed sting operations.
Hansen has said he wasn’t consulted at all for the film, which he also has not yet seen. Speaking with Dan Abrams on the latter’s Sirius XM podcast this week, the former Dateline NBC host was asked whether he’s considering taking legal action — and didn’t rule it out.
“People are looking at it, Dan. I don’t know. One guy told me, somebody who’s very, very good at all this and very entrenched in entertainment law, he said, ‘You know, you can do that, and you probably have a decent case. How much time do you want to spend doing it?'” said Hansen.
“Their thought process here is that, if you protest it too much, do they turn it into a promotional situation?” he continued. “‘This is the movie Chris Hansen doesn’t want you to see!’ The reality is, it’s the movie Chris Hansen hasn’t even seen yet. So it’s a hard question to answer.”
In the same interview, Hansen said he takes issue with the filmmakers using his real name and likeness, while also allegedly taking a lot of creative liberties with the truth. “If you’re fictionalizing so much, why use real names?” he asked, before saying he believes it’s because his name comes with commercial value and creates the impression he was involved in production.
“It feels very exploitative to me,” he told Abrams. “It feels sneaky and disingenuous to me that they would do this and not even say, ‘This is what we’re doing.'”
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA
Reacting to the full trailer for the film, Hansen said it appeared “overly dramatic” and “dark,” with Pattinson giving an “almost vampirish” portrayal of him. While he called the Twilight star a “gifted actor,” Hansen said the trailer includes conversations that “never took place in real life,” calling it “an adaptation of reality” that was “made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.”
The teaser, he continued, “is way out there and not reflective of reality,” pointing to a scene of Pattinson yelling at his crew by adding, “there are a lot of negative things in there that just aren’t true.”
The journalist also claimed A24 did invite him to screen the film, but demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement before doing so. Hansen declined and was not allowed to see the movie.
While he’s not signing off on the project, Hansen is capitalizing on its release: Per The Hollywood Reporter, he bought preshow advertising for his TruBlu streaming network to play on every screen showing Primetime. The spot will include a QR code, directing audience members to the true crime network.
Primetime, meanwhile, is scheduled for a September 25, 2026 release.
This story ‘To Catch a Predator’s’ Chris Hansen Considering Legal Action Against ‘Exploitative’ ‘Primetime’ Movie first appeared on InTouch Weekly. Follow InTouch Weekly on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
