Chris Hansen did not attend a private screening of A24's "Primetime" at the distributor's offices Thursday morning. The 66-year-old veteran journalist said he left after declining to sign a legal agreement required for the preview, according to comments he made on Fox News' "Jesse Watters Primetime."
Hansen said the agreement would have required him to sign away rights to his name, image and brand, and any potential legal rights stemming from the movie. His attorneys had reviewed the paperwork and advised against signing, he said. "This was a very restrictive agreement. I've never seen anything quite like it," Hansen said.
A source close to A24 said the studio asked Hansen to sign a standard non-disclosure agreement that all preview audiences must follow for unreleased films, primarily to prevent spoilers and protect the studio's intellectual property. The agreement Hansen described would represent a far larger legal matter than a typical screening NDA and would not be requested of other individuals previewing the film, including press and marketing agencies.
The incident contradicted Hansen's earlier statements. Days before, on the "Serialously With Annie Elise" podcast, he said A24 was arranging a private screening and he would offer his verdict on the film afterward. Hansen said he could not explain the studio's concerns since he has not viewed the film. "I haven't seen the film," he said. "I know other people have seen it who didn't sign an NDA, and yet they wanted me to sign it."
"Primetime," written by Ajon Singh and directed by Lance Oppenheim, depicts Hansen and his work on "To Catch a Predator," the hidden-camera franchise that ran on "Dateline NBC" from 2004 to 2007. Robert Pattinson stars in the title role. The film is set in 2006 as the segment transitions to its own primetime program. A24 has labeled the film as "inspired by true events" rather than a biography. The movie is scheduled to open in theaters Sept. 25 after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
