Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 17
Chris Hansen Questions 'Primetime' Motive Ahead of Sept. 25 Release
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 17

Chris Hansen Questions 'Primetime' Motive Ahead of Sept. 25 Release

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 17

Summary

  • Chris Hansen said he was not consulted on A24's "Primetime" and suspects the film used his name to boost a commercial project.
  • A private screening is expected within a week, Hansen said, after which he plans to judge whether Robert Pattinson's portrayal and the story are overly dramatized.
  • The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim, follows Hansen's 2006 rise on NBC's "To Catch a Predator," the controversial sting series that ran from 2004 to 2007.
  • That franchise ended after a 2006 Texas case in which assistant district attorney Bill Conradt died by suicide as police and a camera crew arrived; NBC later settled a $105 million lawsuit.
  • "Primetime" is due to premiere at the Venice Film Festival before opening in theaters on Sept. 25.

Insights

Why did Hollywood shut out Chris Hansen from a thrilling movie based on his own controversial stings?
Could this dramatic film finally force a public reckoning over the tragic ethical failures of early reality television?