British star Robert Pattinson is looking to build on a strong 2026 box office run with "Primetime,” a dark thriller in which he plays a creepy television presenter who hunts suspected sexual predators. The film premieres Saturday at the Venice Film Festival.
Pattinson, who is also set to return to the big screen in the third installment of the "Dune” franchise in December, takes on a new role behind the scenes with "Primetime,” earning his first producer credit on a feature film. The movie also marks the feature debut of 30-year-old director Lance Oppenheim.
"Primetime” draws inspiration from the controversial NBC reality series "To Catch a Predator,” which ran from 2004 to 2007 and was hosted by Chris Hansen. The show became known for setting up encounters between Hansen and men suspected of attempting to meet minors, with the confrontations filmed and broadcast on television.
The "Twilight” and "The Batman” star has already earned praise from Hansen for his imitation of the former host, but Hansen has also hinted at possible legal action against the film, which hits theaters later this month.
"Obviously he has practiced imitating me, and while I think it’s overly dramatic, I think there is a pretty good imitation there in the trailer,” Hansen told the U.S. entertainment program "Entertainment Tonight” late last month.
"My wife and my family seem to think it’s a pretty good imitation,” he added.
The Hollywood Reporter described "Primetime” as "a probing, darkly surreal immersion into the mid-aughts,” with Pattinson’s transformation described as "eerie.”
Pattinson has become one of the industry’s most bankable stars, with his films this year including the hit "The Drama,” alongside Zendaya, as well as the box office behemoth "The Odyssey,” in which he plays the villainous Antinous.
As co-producer, Pattinson has invested in the production of "Primetime” through his own company, Icki Eneo Arlo, and will stand to gain directly from ticket sales and streaming rights.
Oasis to come
The film, made with independent U.S. studio A24, is one of the most anticipated entries in the main Venice competition this year.
The Italian festival has been largely overlooked by Hollywood studios and American streaming services, which turned up in large numbers at last year’s event.
One of the critics’ favorites so far is "Wild Horse Nine,” a dark comedy by British-Irish director Martin McDonagh. The film stars John Malkovich as a cynical CIA agent who takes a break in Chile ahead of a military coup backed by the U.S. intelligence agency.
There is also a strong lineup of documentaries, including one about Tesla billionaire Elon Musk by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and another about the reunion tour of British rock band Oasis last year that looks set to delight fans Saturday.
Feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher are expected to attend the premiere late Saturday.
The premiere of "NAZA,” about Israeli forces’ killing of civilians in Gaza, by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor looks set to be one of the most emotionally charged moments of the latter part of the festival, which runs through Sept. 12.
Abraham and Szor won an Oscar for "No Other Land,” the 2024 documentary that chronicled Israel’s displacement of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank.