Overview
- Primetime, an A24 dramatization inspired by Luke Dittrich’s Esquire reporting, premiered in early September at the Venice Film Festival and has drawn strong reviews and high Rotten Tomatoes scores for director Lance Oppenheim and lead Robert Pattinson.
- Pattinson’s performance has attracted serious awards talk, with multiple critics calling it one of his best roles even as some reviewers say the film lacks the deeper ethical analysis found in recent documentaries about sting operations.
- Chris Hansen has publicly rejected the film’s accuracy, saying he was not consulted, calling the movie fabricated and offensive, and refusing a studio screening that required an NDA.
- Hansen has purchased preshow advertising to promote his TruBlu service and is consulting lawyers to explore possible legal claims over the use of his name and likeness, though no lawsuit has been filed.
- The film dramatizes the 2006 To Catch a Predator operation that ended with Bill Conradt’s suicide, it opens in U.S. theaters on September 25, 2026, and the pre-release dispute could shape publicity, awards momentum, and any legal challenges ahead of wide release.