Directed by Lance Oppenheim, the Film Also Stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Singer Phoebe Bridgers in Her Acting Debut

Chris Hansen is buying ads to run before every screening of A24's upcoming film "Primetime, which stars Robert Pattinson as the longtime "To Catch a Predator" host, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter. The pre-show spot promotes Hansen's streaming network, TruBlu, which features the kind of predator investigations depicted in the movie. In the commercial, Hansen says: "Now there are more platforms than ever before where this disturbing crime is being committed.

Join us undercover every day on my streaming network, TruBlu. TruBlu did not immediately return The Independent's request for comment. Hansen, 66, hosted "To Catch a Predator" for its entire run on NBC's Dateline from 2004 to 2007. The show became famous for Hansen's ability to lure suspected sex predators into on-camera confrontations.

It was canceled in 2006 after Texas district attorney Bill Conradt killed himself while being targeted in one of Hansen's sting operations. A24's new movie, out September 25, is a dark take on the origins of Hansen's program, with Pattinson doing a pitch-perfect impression of the TV personality's voice in the trailer. Directed by Lance Oppenheim, the film also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and singer Phoebe Bridgers in her acting debut.

Despite being at the center of the story, Hansen was not involved in the making of the movie and does not appear to be a fan. According to THR, Hansen wanted to end his TruBlu commercial by telling audiences they were about to see "a Hollywood fantasy version" of the true events, but the line was removed out of concern for potential pushback from A24. On Wednesday, he told Mediaite that he considered the movie a "work of fiction" because they did not consult him. "It's overly dramatic, he said about the trailer on SiriusXM's The Dan Abrams Show.

"How could they tell the story without having talked to anybody who was directly involved? The conversations you heard in the trailer never took place in real life, and I was there. It's way out there and not reflective of reality.

He added: "It feels very exploitive to me. It feels sneaky and disingenuous to me. The veteran journalist said in podcast interviews and on Fox News that he was invited to a private screening of the movie but walked out after refusing to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

"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, Hansen claimed on Jesse Watters Primetime. I couldn't sign that, so they didn't show me the film. I went all the way over there. A source close to A24 told The Independent that Hansen was asked to sign the standard NDA given out for unreleased film screenings, which is mostly to prevent spoilers.