Why Chris Hansen Was Blocked From Robert Pattinson’s Primetime Screening

Chris Hansen recently disclosed in an interview that he was denied entry to a screening of A24’s Primetime, in which Robert Pattinson portrays the veteran journalist. Since then, new details have emerged about what transpired.

Chris Hansen details his failed Primetime preview

Hansen appeared on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime on Thursday and claimed that “the lawyers at A24 wanted him to sign away rights to his name, image, and brand, as well as any potential legal rights that would come out of the movie. He added, “I couldn’t sign that, so they didn’t show me the film. I went all the way over there [A24 offices]” (via Variety).

The former To Catch a Predator host asserted that he did not sign any agreement with A24 in the absence of legal counsel. Hansen elaborated, “This was a very restrictive agreement. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

However, both Variety and Deadline cite sources reporting that Hansen was asked to sign a standard NDA that asks screening audience members not to reveal spoilers publicly and to protect an I.P. What Hansen has described to Watters seems to encompass far more than a traditional NDA before screening.

At one point in the aforementioned interview, Watters enquired about the reasons for A24’s concerns. Hansen responded, “I don’t know! I haven’t seen the film.” He then noted, “If you look at the trailer, obviously it’s a very dramatized version. They had told me that it’s fictionalized in many aspects. I know other people have seen it who didn’t sign an NDA, and yet they wanted me to sign it” (via The Hollywood Reporter).

All this comes a few days after Hansen announced during an appearance on the Serialously with Annie Elise podcast that he would give his full assessment of the movie after attending a private screening.

Primetime premieres at the 83rd annual Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 2026. The movie debuts in US theaters on September 25.

Source: Comingsoon.net