Chris Hansen, the former host of NBC Dateline's true-crime series To Catch a Predator, has offered a cryptic response to Robert Pattinson's portrayal of him in A24's upcoming drama Primetime. The film, set for release this September, explores the origins of the investigative news program that aired from 2004 to 2007, focusing on Hansen's operations to catch adult men attempting to meet minors for sex.
Pattinson's Transformation
The first trailer for Primetime, released earlier this week, showcases Pattinson's strikingly transformed voice as Hansen. In a voice-over, Pattinson says, "At the end of the day, man must be held accountable for the decisions that he makes. Do you agree? Do you watch television? Well, there's something you should know. I'm Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC, and you're about to be a part of television history." The film also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher, and Bokeem Woodbine, marking director Lance Oppenheim's narrative feature film debut.
Hansen's Reaction
Appearing on a recent segment of News Nation, the 66-year-old Hansen addressed the first look at the movie. "What? There's a movie trailer?" he exclaimed, feigning shock. "What will they think of next?" When asked about Pattinson, Hansen remarked, "He's an actor, right? Young, talented guy?" After being shown the clip, newscaster Jesse Weber noted that Pattinson "sounds a lot like you." Hansen replied, "We had heard that there was something like this in the works. They reached out to me this week, and I've been asked not to talk about it a great deal at this point." When Weber again suggested the impression was accurate, Hansen agreed slightly, saying, "Little bit. Very dramatic."
Background on Hansen
Hansen hosted To Catch a Predator throughout its entire three-year run. The series was canceled in 2008 following the suicide of Texas assistant district attorney Bill Conradt after he was served an arrest warrant during production. Hansen joined NBC in 1993 as a correspondent for Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric and has won eight Emmy awards for his investigative reporting. He parted ways with NBC in 2013 but continues his work apprehending suspected pedophiles on Takedown with Chris Hansen, which streams on TruBlu. He also hosts the Have a Seat podcast, where he shares behind-the-scenes details of his most shocking stings.
Release Details
Primetime is expected to premiere in theaters this September, though an exact release date has not yet been announced.
