'Never Took Place': Chris Hansen Says New Film Starring Robert Pattinson as Him is a 'Work of Fiction'
Chris Hansen has blasted a new film about him starring Robert Pattinson as a 'work of fiction.'
Aug. 27 2026, Updated 9:32 a.m. ET
Chris Hansen has dubbed a new movie about his life starring Robert Pattinson a "work of fiction."
Breaking Celebrity News can reveal the former host of To Catch a Predator claims a new trailer of the movie — called Primetime — contained scenes that "never happened" in real life, as he hit out at bosses for not consulting him on the content featured in the film.
'It's Overly Dramatic'
Hansen says the plot lines of 'Primetime', starring Robert Pattinson, have been ramped up.
Hansen's series — which aired from 2004-2007 as part of Dateline NBC — saw him confront men who arrived at a staged home expecting to meet minors they had communicated with online, before they were typically arrested by waiting law enforcement.
Speaking about the movie, which hits theaters on September 25, Hansen, 66, said: "It's overly dramatic… How could they tell the story without having talked to anybody who was directly involved?
"The conversations you heard in the trailer never took place in real life."
Hansen, who also emphasized he’s yet to see the movie in its entirety, explained that while A24, the production company behind the film, reached out to him in May — just a day before the first trailer came out — asking him to participate in promotional efforts, he felt the move was too little too late.
No Contact With Film's Director
Hansen told Dan Abrams director Lance Oppenheim had not contacted him ahead of movie being made.
He even recalled hearing from a mutual connection that the movie's director, Lance Oppenheim, felt he didn’t need to contact the To Catch a Predator host because the movie was a "love letter to Chris Hansen."
While appearing on Wednesday’s edition of SiriusXM’s The Dan Abrams Show, the host asked about “potential legal concerns,” to which Hansen responded: “They didn’t have to use my name.
"They didn’t have to use the names of people with whom I’ve worked,” even sharing that one of his producers "was so upset the other day because (the trailer) cast her in a negative light" and showed the host yelling at his crew — allegations he denied.
'I Have Nothing To Do With Movie'
Hansen says people are shocked by his lack of involvement in the movie.
Hansen stressed that he believes the filmmakers wanted to use his name because "it's of value" and "will bring people in the theater."
"Most people are shocked when I tell them that I had nothing to do with the movie," he continued. "This is a work of fiction."
Hansen was particularly irked by a scene from the trailer where Jeff Zucker, the former CEO of NBC Universal, plays himself.
In the clip, he tells Hansen, played by Pattinson, "I don’t like your show, but America does."
"Never said it," Hansen told Abrams. "He never said it to me, anyway."
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Hansen revealed he declined to sign an NDA.
The former TV host went on to say he was invited to an advance screening of the film but was asked to sign a release beforehand. On the advice of his attorneys, Hansen declined to sign the NDA. When he showed up for the screening anyway, he said he was told he would not be allowed to watch the movie.
"I understand that you wanna protect your intellectual property," Hansen said of the filmmakers. "But what about my intellectual property?"
He added: "They were sneaky and disingenuous about it," but made clear that while headlines seem to think he's in a "war" with A24, he just wants to see the movie with no legal strings attached.
