A24 has released the official teaser for Primetime, a new crime drama from director Lance Oppenheim starring Robert Pattinson.
Set in 2006, the film follows a television journalist determined to make history with a new kind of crime reporting. A24’s official synopsis keeps things short and sharp: To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to change television forever. That alone gives the teaser a very specific kind of tension — not just crime, but crime filtered through cameras, ratings, spectacle and the uncomfortable machinery of reality television.
Robert Pattinson leads the film, continuing his run of stranger, riskier and more slippery roles. Here, he appears to be playing a figure caught somewhere between journalist, performer and cultural architect: someone exposing darkness, but also turning that exposure into must-watch television.
That is what makes Primetime feel especially suited to A24. The premise is not only about the crimes being investigated. It is also about how television packages danger, shame and justice for public consumption. In the early 2000s, hidden-camera crime shows blurred the line between journalism, entertainment and moral theatre. Primetime looks ready to dig into that blur rather than treat it as simple heroism.
The cast also includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine, with Oppenheim making his narrative feature debut after building his reputation in documentary work. That background could be important here. A story about media construction, real-world fear and televised confrontation benefits from a filmmaker who understands how images can shape reality as much as record it.
For viewers drawn to tense, uncomfortable crime dramas, Primetime looks like one of A24’s more intriguing releases on the horizon. The teaser suggests something sharp, anxious and morally complicated — less a straightforward true-crime thriller than a story about the moment television learned how profitable public exposure could become.
Primetime is listed by A24 as a 2026 release, with the exact date still to be announced.
Video source: A24
