Box office magnet Robert Pattinson appears in paedophile thriller

Robert Pattinson, the British actor known for his roles in the Twilight series and The Batman, is set to star in the dark thriller Primetime at the Venice Film Festival. The movie, directed by Lance Oppenheim and co-produced by Pattinson, sees the actor playing a creepy paedophile-hunting TV presenter. The film is based on the scandal-plagued NBC reality TV show To Catch a Predator, which ran from 2004 to 2007 and involved presenter Chris Hansen luring paedophiles to fake meetings with children.

Pattinson has already received praise from Hansen for his powers of imitation, but the original NBC host has hinted at possible legal action against the film. Primetime is one of the most anticipated films in the main Venice festival competition this year.