Chris Hansen reveals his first choice to play him in Primetime instead of Robert Pattinson

Chris Hansen has revealed that Robert Pattinson wasn't originally his pick to portray him in the upcoming A24 film Primetime.

Speaking to the Serialously podcast, the former Dateline host, best known for hosting To Catch A Predator, said he'd once written his own script years ago with a completely different actor in mind for the lead role.

Discussing the A24 project this week, Hansen made it clear he had almost no input into how the final casting shook out.

Chris Hansen is best known for hosting the long-running To Catch a Predator series. (Photo by Mike Pont/WireImage)

Who did Chris Hansen originally want to play him?

Hansen explained that long before Pattinson's involvement, he'd been through early-stage discussions about adapting his story for the screen, with a script already written at the time.

He said comedian and actor Denis Leary had been his choice back then, depending on how the project's timeline played out.

While Hansen acknowledged that Pattinson is 'a very popular actor', he admitted he'd had reservations about the studio's reasoning behind the casting decision.

He suggested the choice was less about accuracy and more about box office appeal.

"Obviously they want a commercial endeavor to succeed, and they think this is the way it's going to succeed," he said of Pattinson taking on the role.

Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen in the upcoming A24 film Primetime. (Photo by Cindy Ord/WireImage)

Has Chris Hansen seen the new Primetime movie yet?

According to Hansen, he still hasn't watched the film, though he confirmed a private screening was lined up for the following week.

He joked that his own schedule investigating real cases had kept him from checking out the film version of his life.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ve been so busy being the real Chris Hansen, I haven’t had much time to check out the dramatized version,” he joked.

“I’m going to see it soon and once I do, we’ll talk about it.”

Hansen also addressed his level of involvement in the production, stating he had no hand in filming and was only looped in after the project was already underway.

"We had heard that this was in the works. A couple months ago they came out and said, 'Hey, look, we're doing this. We'd like you to have some sort of consideration in terms of helping us with this,'" he recalled.

Chris Hansen admitted that he had nearly no input into the new film about his show. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images)

He added that he suspected his name was primarily used for commercial reasons, and said it wouldn't be fair to weigh in further as a journalist until he'd seen the movie in full.

A24 released the first trailer for Primetime back in May, giving audiences a look at Pattinson's transformation into the role, including a noticeably altered voice.

The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim, explores the origins of Hansen's To Catch a Predator series and is set for a September 25 theatrical release.

The cast also includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Anna Faris, Jonathan Lipnicki, Tony Revolori and Creed Bratton.

Hansen's original series ran from 2004 to 2007 and drew scrutiny over its methods, particularly following the 2006 death of former Texas prosecutor William Conradt, which led to a settlement between NBC and Conradt's family two years later.

Despite the criticism, Hansen has continued to defend the show's legacy, previously telling Time in 2015 that the series sparked conversations that hadn't existed before and helped expose wrongdoing.

UNILAD has approached Robert Pattinson and A24 for comment.