Robert Pattinson, Lance Oppenheim to Develop A24 Film ‘Primetime’

Lance Oppenheim, who recently directed the buzzy HBO documentary series “Ren Faire,” is working with A24 and Robert Pattinson to develop his first narrative feature film.

A24 is set to finance and produce “Primetime,” which follows a journalist who takes on an underworld of crime and ends up changing television forever. Additional details are under wraps but the project is said to be inspired by “To Catch a Predator,” the 2000s-era reality show in which host Chris Hansen aimed to expose alleged sexual predators. Hansen would use hidden cameras while orchestrating sting operations that lured culprits to homes under the pretense of having sex with a minor, only to have the suspect arrested.

Oppenheim, whose documentary credits also include “Some Kind of Heaven,” a look at the world’s largest retirement community, and “Spermworld,” following the story of sperm donors, recipients, and all that connects them, is directing from a screenplay by Ajon Singh. They will also executive produce with William Iannaccone and A.J. Bourscheid for Range and Emily Hildner for Square Peg.

Pattinson, who will appear next in Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” and “The Batman” sequel, will serve as a producer through his production banner Icki Eneo Arlo. Additional producers include Brighton McCloskey, Range’s Brian Kavanaugh Jones and Fred Berger, Square Peg’s Lars Knudsen, Ari Aster and Tyler Campellone.

Oppenheim has worked with acclaimed filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky, who produced “Some Kind of Heaven,” as well as Josh and Benny Safdie, who backed “Ren Faire,” a “Game of Thrones”-esque battle to lead the Texas Renaissance Festival. The 28-year-old says his upbringing in Florida — what he describes as an “insane place” — inspired his interest in documentary filmmaking.

“I was terrible at sports, so I found solace in making films. I realized there was an over-abundance of really interesting stories that were constantly written about in the local newspapers but never given a deeper dive,” he told Variety in 2021 around the release of “Some Kind of Heaven.” “Even if I didn’t have the nicest camera, if I found an interesting story and latched on to it, I could find my voice through other peoples’ stories.”