Twins! Rivals! Clones! Hollywood is doubling down on dual roles

Robert Pattinson, Robert De Niro and Michael B Jordan are all pulling double duty in their new films and that's just the start

For years, dual roles have been played largely for laughs. Think of Adam Sandler's Razzie-sweeping twin turn in Jack and Jill, or Lisa Kudrow as both Phoebe and Ursula Buffay on Friends. Eddie Murphy was always particularly prolific, his most multiplicitous performance as a clutch of Klumps for Nutty Professor II.

There are exceptions, of course. But for every Legend or The Prestige there are 10 Austin Powers, Bowfingers and - shudder - Norbits. This year, however, is giving us a more dramatic breed of duplicate. Robert De Niro will pull double Don duty in The Alto Knights, Michael B Jordan will play twin leads in the supernatural Sinners and a pair of Robert Pattinson clones is currently headlining Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17.