Chris Hansen Says He Refused to Sign His Rights Away in Order to Screen Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’
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- Chris Hansen traveled to A24's offices for a 10 a.m. private screening of "Primetime" on Thursday but left without seeing the film, telling Fox News the studio's lawyers "wanted me to sign away my rights to my name, image and brand."
- Hansen's attorneys had pre-reviewed the document and advised against signing; Hansen called the agreement "very restrictive" and unlike anything he had encountered in four decades of investigative reporting.
- A source close to A24 countered that the agreement was a standard NDA required of all preview audiences to prevent spoilers and protect the studio's IP, though the article notes the terms Hansen describes would be "much larger" than a standard screening NDA and not asked of other press or marketing-agency viewers.
- Hansen said he has no financial stake in the film, was not paid or brought on as a consultant, and learned of the project the way he finds out "most things" — as a working reporter digging into the story.
- Hansen criticized the outreach's timing, noting A24 only called saying "they want you to be happy with the film" after production had already wrapped, not when shooting began.
- A24 has labeled the Lance Oppenheim-directed film "inspired by true events" rather than a biopic; it opens in theaters Sept. 25 following its competition premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Why it matters: Hansen is the real-life subject of the film yet couldn't see it, turning a routine pre-release NDA dispute into a PR story timed against A24's Venice premiere. A24 declined to comment, leaving the journalist's claim that the agreement would seize his name, image, and brand as the headline the studio didn't want heading into its festival rollout.
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