Screenwriting : Protagonist death by Tim Mihocik

I find it upsetting when a protagonist is killed off too soon or at all. Like Triple Frontier when Ben Affleck was killed off. It was upsetting and I'm sure people have better examples but that's the one that comes to mind right now. I feel that the hero should remain in the entire story. Just my opinion : )

Pulp Fiction

Better examples!

To Live and Die in L.A.

I write a lot in the Paranormal genre (comedy, crime, drama...). So it's not uncommon for me to kill off my protagonist right off (in the opening scene of Our Time, on page 2 in The Guardian). It sure leaves the audience asking 'what next?'.

The Prestige.

And things I write... lol

Wow, thank you guys! I didn't realize that it wasn't so uncommon to have that happen as I had thought. And you listed some fantastic movies that accomplished it with great success (depending if you enjoyed the killing of the protagonist or not Christine lol).

On a side note, I have to say that I really love being a part of the Stage32 community, there is such a wealth of knowledge and generosity from fellow writers willing to help out on anything big or small that it beats any small writing circle any day!

Nick Assunto- that's funny you say that. I actually felt the opposite, feeling Angrier was more the protagonist and the one to root for. I loved the Borden angle with the identical twins but felt bad for Angrier losing his wife because of them using different knots in the beginning. lol I was actually upset at the end because it felt like Angrier never got his revenge and because it seemed like he knew what the purpose of performing magic was really about.

Just my take lol but shows what a brilliant script it was where there could easily be two different takes on who is the good guy and who is the bad guy.

haha Tim. Great movies were listed here. It was early for me and that was the first one that came to mind as well as first thought : )

Christine- Triple Frontier was a great example though. I really liked the movie but remember when they killed Ben Affleck and was completely blind sided. In that movie it felt more tragic and unfinished to me and didn't make sense for ALL of them to donate their money to his family. Lol 4 million seems a little too much, they weren't living in L.A.!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Psycho as yet.

I think this idea of one protagonist picking up the torch for another that dies (or gets irreparably sidelined) works best in stories where there's some type of student-mentor dynamic, especially in cases where the student has to surpass the teacher in order to achieve some ultimate goal in the climax.

Just did that...I have a group of characters, one distinguishes as protagonist, but he goes off in the middle of second act...if it drives the plot forward and matches the concept, why the hell not...

BTW...yes, Psycho :)

If it works, it works. It's all about the execution of the idea. One iteration will likely be too jarring and disruptive, while another version may well create a magical unforeseen twist that engages and resonates with an audience. It's all in the writing.

I think it could be amazing. Write it. I am sure that the best scripts go through many drafts. However, I learned that killing off a lovable character can also lose your audience. I don't want to call out the program on here, but I have seen it taken too far where the audience is so mad that they don't want to watch. Would it be possible to make them co-leaders so one dies, but the other that we invested in lives? I am a beginner, but I am learning too. I would love to see you pull it off.

"Hitchcock’s Psycho was the first film to feature a false protagonist, a character who is seemingly the central figure of a story until they are moved out of the spotlight. This can cause a shocking plot twist, such as in the case of Marion Crane’s death, and it can also drastically shift the direction of the story. Many popular films and TV shows such as Game of Thrones, Orange Is the New Black, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Scream have followed in Hitchcock’s footsteps by using this technique." (from: https://the-take.com/read/in-hitchcocks-psycho-what-was-revolutionary-ab... )

I agree with @Phil All depends on execution of idea. Great points @JJ Turning audiences expectations against them, as in not protagonist they initially thought, can work if story following does not discredit opening. (Logical in the circumstances looking back Etc) Hitchcock was a master so his films work but I’ve seen some films where changing the concept of a reality already set up, blows all credibility of whats gone on before out of the water.

I believe that, at the time, Dallas' demise in Alien was a bit of a shock, and that occurred late on. We all know what happened next...

I've seen it in "The Decline". You can watch it on Netflix. For me that was rather sudden and unprepared, and I was left with a feeling that I was emotionally manipulated. BUT later on I found myself still engaged by the film, thinking about it on and on. I realised that killing off the protagonist produced that distancing effect, when your are kind off pushed away from the story emotionally but are involved intellectually.

Tim Mihocik yes! I did this in my screenplay and novel Help Me Kill (details and script on my profile).

The outline and screenplay had protag Erich die at the end, and confidant Sabrina escaped.

When I expanded it to the novel, even after converting and writing more, I needed more story material, and I saw the opportunity to develop a whole additional new Act III, in which Sabrina continues her adventure in a way that extends from the existing material, and with a few new characters introduced, yet also with my eye of scrutiny making sure it didn't get "episodic" in the continuation.

Although if it went to TV episodes that substance could be a bonus in development.

The Spanish conspirator who was sort of a bright-side echo / doppelganger to Erich's dark and twisted / tragic character later became a subtle reincarnation of him, and companion to Sabrina.

Her motive becomes to circle back through Italy, cross the Alps to Zurich and attempt ultimate revenge upon Erich's killer.

And this challenge fulfills her arc because instead of just being a bad-ass who escapes, she becomes a total bad-ass who surmounts numerous additional obstacles and rises to the challenge and in the process metaphorically slays the patriarchy.

Sabrina's character was so strong in Act I and following to begin with, she essentially had already taken over the story so it unfolded quite naturally and became a satisfying fulfillment of complete story material where otherwise the original truncated script maybe felt like the ending was too abrupt.

An incredible creative experience, I then of course took all the new material and adapted it back into the revised script, a lot of story, so now that script is dense and concise but I hope it is a fast read because it is certainly packed with action and suspense, not to speak of drugs, violence and sex.

no country for old men

I would think "Promising Young Woman" would fit in this category!

In Psycho Janet Leigh is the lead until she's killed off half way through, then this role is taken up by the real lead (although there is debate as to if she is a lead, the lead or a red herring etc.)