Dual Protagonists: How to Handle TWO Lead Characters in Your Screenplay

Dual Protagonists: Breaking the Mould

There is no law in screenwriting that dictates you must only have one protagonist, or main character, in your screenplay. Granted, most writers choose to dedicate their limited number of pages to focus on one particular character’s story. After all, it is difficult enough to design one credible character journey, let alone a dual protagonist story.

The protagonist is the character that should occupy most of the screen time and undergo the most amount of change. Therefore, the obvious solution to writing a story with dual protagonists is to make sure your two characters have equal amounts of screen time and both experience a significant arc. Alas, that is not enough.

Dual protagonists must equally spiral, intersect and clash multiple times throughout the course of your screenplay. Their journeys on both a plot and thematic level have to be closely intertwined. You also need a structure that is specially designed to handle dual protagonists and a story that ultimately warrants the inclusion of this tricky device.

If you are willing to risk breaking the mould and expand your story over two central characters, then there are several mistakes and potholes that must be avoided at all costs.