Chris Hansen Skipped Primetime Screening To ‘Keep Rights’
NBC’s How to Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen has spoken out about the upcoming biopic on the creation, execution and aftermath of his controversial show designed to catch out predatory adults pursuing pre-teens. Titled Primetime and directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson in the central role as the host, the film is set to be released by A24, who Hansen claims “wanted him to sign away [his] rights“, prompting him to miss the actual screening of the film after he attended the event.
Hansen sat down with Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime to share his experience on the upcoming narrative of his work exposing predators by setting up a sting house for the men to visit under the apprehension they would meet with a teenager they had been speaking with online, who was actually another grown adult working for Hansen posing as a decoy. How to Catch a Predator debuted in late 2004 and aired until 2007, having been cancelled after a district attorney who was caught took his own life.
A biopic on the host’s experience making the series and his objective with it was announced in late 2024, with Oppenheim to direct following his work as a documentary maker and A24 to handle distribution, with Hansen addressing a legal bump in the road concerning the studio’s handling of such a crucial arc in his career.
“The lawyers at A24 wanted me to sign away my rights to my name, image and brand, essentially, as well as any potential legal rights that would come out of the movie,” the former TV host explained. “I couldn’t sign that, so they didn’t show me the film. I went all the way over there. … But who’s going to sign something like that?”
Hansen also cited the agreement as “very restrictive” and one he “had never seen anything quite like.”
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When pressed for explanation on what he believes A24 is so concerned about, the TV star replied, “I don’t know! I haven’t seen the film.”
“If you look at the trailer, obviously it’s a very dramatised version,” Hansen shared. “They had told me that it’s fictionalised in many aspects. I know other people have seen it who didn’t sign an NDA, and yet they wanted me to sign it.”
A previous interview with podcaster Annie Elise saw Hansen question “Hollywood’s motive” behind the dramatic, divisive biopic, explaining how he was approached “to have some sort of consideration in terms of helping [the makers] with this“. The host then mentioned that the film had already been completed before he was approached.
“As a reporter, it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven’t seen yet,” Hansen concluded. “My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise.”
Primetime hits theatres on the 25th September.
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