Robert Pattinson Stars as Chris Hansen in Lance Oppenheim's Venice Premiere 'Primetime'
Lance Oppenheim's debut feature 'Primetime' premiered at the Venice Film Festival, starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, the notorious host of the 2000s TV show 'To Catch a Predator'. The satirical film explores the murky world of the show, which used vigilante decoys to catch alleged paedophiles. Pattinson delivers a career-best performance, capturing Hansen's physicality and phoniness. The film also features Merritt Wever as Hansen's producer and Dan Plumb as 'Decoy Dan', a decoy who grows uneasy with his role. Oppenheim, known for documentaries like 'Some Kind of Heaven' and 'Spermworld', brings his signature style to this quasi-horror fiction, blending campy and psychedelic elements. The film is produced by A24 and is scheduled for release in 2026.
Key facts
- Primetime premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
- Directed by Lance Oppenheim, his debut feature.
- Robert Pattinson plays Chris Hansen, host of 'To Catch a Predator'.
- The film is a satirical take on the show's vigilante tactics.
- Merritt Wever plays Hansen's producer.
- Dan Plumb plays 'Decoy Dan', a decoy posing as a 13-year-old.
- Phoebe Bridgers appears as an actor who walks off the show.
- Produced by A24, release scheduled for 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Robert Pattinson
- Lance Oppenheim
- Chris Hansen
- Merritt Wever
- Dan Plumb
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Chris Welcker
- Ari Balouzian
- Susan Sarandon
- Skyler Gisondo
- Anna Faris
- David Osit
- Alex Winter
- Bokeem Woodbine
- Jessica Kiang
- David Rooney
- Bilge Ebiri
- Damon Wise
- Nikki Baughan
Institutions
- A24
- Venice Film Festival
- Netflix
- Hollywood
- Dateline NBC
- HBO
- NBC
- Dateline
- Venice International Film Festival
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Variety
- The Hollywood Reporter
- New York Magazine
- Deadline
- Screen International
Locations
- Venice
- Italy