THE DODO MAN
The Saga of the Last Dodo
Synopsis
The extraordinary adventure of a purveyor of fine wines and enthusiast of science who abandons his provincial life and sets out on a quest to save the last dodo bird, and himself, from extinction.
Dodo Origins
The Dodo Man sprang from a dreamlike memory of a boyhood encounter with a stuffed bird at the Natural History Museum in 1970s London. That display was likely a facsimile, rather than a reconstruction built from the remains of the creature that 600 years ago vanished from our planet.
The story goes, Dutch spice traders stumbled on the dodo while looking for food on the island of Mauritius. The clumsy flightless beast was fearless, without any natural predators, and from all accounts it was easy to trap –– 'doudaars' meaning 'dumb' –– and not very tasty. It was genetically related to the pigeon, twice the size of a swan, with large feet, beady eyes, and a big banana beak.
I fell in love with this odd bird and devised an imaginary historical eco-adventure, as if I had discovered the long-lost diaries of a 17th century explorer. I envisioned Emilio Marcelino as a Gerard Depardieu type, a scruffy dreamer in the 'Age of Reason,' with a vision to make a name for himself in science. Emilio became my Dodo Man, off on an adventure: to save the last surviving dodo.
Fast forward through many drafts, recognition from the AMPAS Nicholl Fellowship, and a boisterous roundtable reading with a local acting group. The Dodo Man struck a nerve as a finalist in Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Impact screenplay program, and I visited their Beverly Hills offices to pitch my take.
"It's a rescue mission, mama."
Dodo Mythology
- Anyone who has read Alice in Wonderland will be familiar with the dodo bird. But sometimes that skips a generation, so I was careful to do my homework about what these creatures looked like and how they likely behaved.
- To help bring the dodo to life, I commissioned an artist, Miles Teves, to illustrate a key scene.
- Miles' painting is revealed for the first time in my gallery below. My hope was that this scene –– Emilio’s disastrous discovery of the dodo nest –– would communicate my story's wonder and excitement.
- Also included are what appear to be Emilio's sketches, and other inspirational imagery.