Robert Pattinson Calls 'Primetime' Script a 'Grenade' at London Premiere

Robert Pattinson told the London Film Festival on Sunday night that Ajon Singh's script for "Primetime" felt like a "grenade" from the first read — and that within two weeks of his call to the writer, the film was already in motion.

Pattinson introduced the psychological thriller at BFI Imax alongside director Lance Oppenheim, writer Ajon Singh and co-star Merritt Wever. He stars as Chris Hansen, the former host of Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator," and also produced the film.

"Ajon had written this script when, as soon as you read it, it felt like it was a grenade," Pattinson recalled. "And then to find that no one was doing anything with it, it feels like you've stolen something. So you're literally just like, 'I want to make this right now.'"

How fast did the project come together?

Fast, by any industry standard. Pattinson said he phoned Singh the day after finishing the script, and the team locked in Oppenheim almost immediately.

"I think I called you like, the day after I read it. And I just knew it was going to be something interesting," Pattinson told Singh from the stage. "And then we got Lance on in less than a week, and I think within two weeks it was already happening."

As both producer and lead, Pattinson said he hunts for writing with a specific charge: "just looking for something in the writing that's kind of electrifying and you think is going to be surprising to audiences."

He then undercut his own pitch with a grimace to the crowd: "I don't want to ruin it for everyone and be like, 'It's really surprising!' And then you're going to be like, 'It's not surprising at all!' But to me, it was surprising. And it just felt original and funny and multi-faceted, everything you want, a little dangerous. And I knew there was going to be something special out of it."

What is the film about?

"Primetime" follows Hansen as he moves "To Catch a Predator" — a show built on confronting suspected child predators — into a primetime slot. The film draws loosely on the 2007 Esquire article "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die" and interrogates the ethics of Hansen's methods, which drew backlash before the show ended in 2008. The filmmakers have stated plainly that the movie is a stylized retelling, not a biopic.

The numbers behind the release:

• A seven-minute standing ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere last month
• $38 million grossed in the U.S. since its Sept. 25 opening, against a $14.5 million budget
• U.K. theatrical release set for Oct. 30

What has Chris Hansen said?

Hansen has not embraced the portrait. Speaking to Variety after seeing the film, he called it a "complete work of fiction" — while conceding a point about the casting.

"Robert Pattinson's a very good actor. And I think a lot of people would find it flattering that this guy would be cast to portray me," Hansen said. "But the way it was done is certainly not flattering. And so what's the larger point for Hollywood here?"

Asked at the Venice press conference whether he had a message for Hansen, Pattinson kept the door open for a reconciliation of sorts.

"Obviously, I hope he likes the movie," Pattinson said. "There's something electrifying about him. I would hope the amount of inspiration his character has given a lot of people for years is some kind of compliment."

With the U.K. release two weeks out and the American box office already more than doubling the production budget, "Primetime" has become A24's breakout of the season — one Hansen's own verdict has so far done nothing to slow.