Robert Pattinson and Oasis bring British star power to Venice Film Festival
The worlds of rock and movie stardom are colliding at the Venice Film Festival, as British stars Robert Pattinson and Oasis frontmen Noel and Liam Gallagher arrive on the Lido for world premieres on Saturday.
Pattinson’s new film, Primetime, is about the reality series To Catch A Predator and host Chris Hansen at the height of its success on Dateline NBC, while the Gallaghers are coming in support of a documentary about their 2025 reunion tour. Both films will be in cinemas this month.
Primetime, which was written by Ajon Singh and directed by Lance Oppenheim, has already inspired discourse and headlines thanks to its trailer and subject matter.
It is based on journalist Luke Dittrich’s Esquire article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die”, which explores a 2006 sting operation on Texas assistant district attorney Bill Conradt.
He took his own life as police officers descended on his home with the show’s television cameras outside.
Oppenheim, in his director’s statement, said that he “wanted to trace the disparate ambitions of people who existed inside this apparatus – a journalistic crusader, a mercenary TV producer and a wide-eyed Hollywood dreamer – converging into a moment of crisis”.
Hansen was not involved in the making of the movie and has made several public comments about it, including that he had always thought Denis Leary should have played him and questioning the motives of the filmmakers.
He was invited to see the movie before the festival, but took issue with the non-disclosure agreement he was asked to sign beforehand.
Last year, the series was also the subject of an acclaimed documentary, Predators, from filmmaker David Osit, currently streaming on Paramount+.
For Pattinson, Primetime is one more buzzy performance in a banner year that has already included memorable performances in hit films from The Drama to The Odyssey and with Dune: Part Three still to come.
The Oasis documentary, subtitled Don’t Look Back in Anger, is part concert film and part exploration of the contentious relationship between the Gallagher brothers, whose long-held feud led to Oasis disbanding in 2009.
It includes never-before-seen rehearsals and what was then their first joint interview in 25 years.
Co-directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace said: “We set out to make a film about the reconciliation of two brothers, infamous for their volatile relationship, but we also wanted to make a film about the power of music and the way Oasis’ songs have continued to have a life of their own, as the band lay dormant for 15 years.
“The documentary, like the reunion and the tour, took on a life of its own.”
Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger will be in cinemas shortly after the festival.
Disney is giving the film an Imax release on September 11, and it is expected to arrive on the Disney+ streaming service later this year.
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