Although Chris Hansen was not involved with the making of A24’s Primetime, he has something to gain from the film’s potential success.
The former To Catch a Predator host, who is portrayed by Robert Pattinson in the Ajon Singh-penned thriller, has purchased ad space before upcoming screenings of the film promoting his true-crime streaming network TruBlu, where Hansen continues his sting investigations.
“We see it as an opportunity to reach a very concentrated group of people who either know Chris or are going to know some version of Chris,” TruBlu President Shawn Rech told Entertainment Weekly.
“A lot of people, because we’re a small network, don’t know that he has done hundreds of new episodes, working in partnership with law enforcement,” added Rech. “And the cases are crazier than ever.”
The spot will run for four weeks before screenings of Primetime and in movie theater lobbies. If the movie does well at the box office, they could renew the ad.
Robert Pattinson in ‘Primetime’
Video screen capture
After Hansen recently confirmed he’s “going to see” the movie, following an invite from the production team to a private screening, he appeared last week on Fox News, claiming he was asked to sign “a very restrictive agreement” to attend the advanced screening. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” he said.
“The lawyers at A24 wanted me to sign away my rights to my name, image and brand essentially, as well as any potential legal rights that would come out of the movie,” added Hansen. “I couldn’t sign that, so they didn’t show me the film. I went all the way over there.”
The form was an NDA that all preview audiences are asked to sign a week in advance to view in an unreleased film, in order to prevent spoilers and protect IP. Hansen reportedly refused to sign, and therefore, wasn’t allowed to screen the film.
Premiering Sept. 25 in theaters, Primetime follows Chris Hansen (Pattinson) as he attempts to make television history with NBC’s To Catch a Predator (2004-’07), a hidden camera show that set up stings for adult men seeking sex from minors online.
