Film · 2026

Primetime

Primetime is a 2026 American psychological thriller film written by Ajon Singh and directed by Lance Oppenheim. It dramatizes the production of the reality television series To Catch a Predator (2004–2007); Robert Pattinson portrays its host Chris Hansen, an NBC journalist who works with the vigilante group Perverted-Justice to catch child predators in sting operations. Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers appear in supporting roles. Oppenheim, who had previously directed documentaries, conceived Primetime as his first narrative feature film after his wife hired Hansen to record a Cameo video for him in 2024. Singh based the script on Luke Dittrich's 2007 Esquire article "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die", which details the botched To Catch a Predator sting operation that culminated in the 2006 suicide of Bill Conradt, and sought to make a stylized retelling rather than a biographical film. Principal photography took place from February to March 2025; cinematographer David Bolen used 12 camera formats, seeking to replicate To Catch a Predator sting operations and digital recordings.