Robert Pattinson paedophile-hunting thriller set for Venice

Robert Pattinson's dark thriller Primetime is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, September 5, with the British actor playing a paedophile-hunting TV presenter.

The film, directed by 30-year-old Lance Oppenheim, tells the story of NBC reality show To Catch a Predator. The programme ran from 2004 to 2007 and used staged meetings with people it identified as paedophiles before presenter Chris Hansen confronted them on camera.

Primetime is Pattinson's first film with a producer credit. It was made with independent US studio A24 and is in the main Venice festival competition before a planned theatrical release later in September.

Hansen told Entertainment Tonight late last month that Pattinson had clearly practised imitating him and that the trailer showed "a pretty good imitation", though he called it "overly dramatic". Hansen has also hinted at possible legal action over the film.

The premiere comes before Pattinson's planned appearance in the third Dune film in December. His 2026 films also include The Drama with Zendaya and The Odyssey, in which he plays Antinous.