Who Is Chris Hansen? Quick Facts as Robert Pattinson Becomes 'To Catch a Predator' Host in A24 Film

Robert Pattinson appears as Chris Hansen in the latest trailer for A24's Primetime, released on 6 August 2026. The film casts the British actor as the Dateline NBC journalist who hosted To Catch a Predator. Directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature debut, it is set in 2006 as Hansen aims to make television history with the controversial sting operations.

Primetime is due in US cinemas on 25 September following its Venice Film Festival premiere.

Hansen remains a figure of enduring public interest for exposing online threats to children.

Chris Hansen Early Life and Journalistic Beginnings

Christopher Edward Hansen was born on 13 September 1959 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in the Detroit suburbs of West Bloomfield Township and Birmingham, Michigan, graduating from Michigan State University with a BA in telecommunication in 1981.

His career began that year as a reporter for WILX in Lansing during his final university year, followed by positions in Tampa and then as an investigative reporter and anchor at Detroit stations WXYZ and WDIV.

He joined NBC News in May 1993 as a correspondent, covering major stories such as the Columbine massacre, Oklahoma City bombing, Unabomber case and the September 11 attacks.

Hansen received 10 Emmy Awards for his investigative reporting and breaking news coverage. A series on airport security shortcomings prompted Federal Aviation Administration inquiries and subsequent policy revisions.

By the mid-2000s the experienced journalist was well established before the predator investigations brought him wider recognition.

The Rise and Fall of To Catch a Predator

To Catch a Predator started as segments on Dateline NBC in November 2004 and continued until 2007, comprising 20 episodes in total. Hansen partnered with volunteers from Perverted-Justice who impersonated minors in internet chat rooms and arranged meetings at prepared sting houses.

Hidden cameras recorded the suspects' arrivals and Hansen's measured confrontations, with local police frequently making arrests from the third operation onwards. Certain peak episodes attracted more than 10 million viewers and raised Dateline's averages.

While popular, the programme drew criticism for combining hard news with entertainment elements. A significant controversy arose on 5 November 2006 when Assistant District Attorney Louis Conradt in Texas died by suicide as officers and an NBC camera crew moved on his home linked to a Murphy investigation.

The episode prompted lawsuits and deeper questions about methods, helping lead to the series ending. Hansen later revived similar formats on Crime Watch Daily and through TruBlu, the true crime streaming platform he co-founded.

Robert Pattinson Embodies Hansen in A24s Primetime

In the trailer Pattinson uses lines including 'I'm Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC, and you're about to be a part of television history.'

The cast features Merritt Wever as a producer, Skyler Gisondo in a decoy role, Phoebe Bridgers making her dramatic feature debut and Anna Faris as Hansen's wife. Pattinson also produces the picture with Ari Aster among others.

Oppenheim, whose previous work includes the documentary Some Kind of Heaven, helms the 107-minute drama centred on the show's high point. Primetime will screen in competition at the Venice International Film Festival ahead of its American theatrical opening.

As of 7 August 2026 the new footage has prompted fresh examination of the original series' tactics and cultural footprint. Hansen, aged 66, continues presenting investigations via podcasts and streaming while the A24 film presents his chapter to a broader contemporary audience.