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At age 21, Dodson became the youngest writer on The Black List. Now 27, he radiates brighter than ever with the remake of “Terms of Endearment,” “Little Richard” for Apple and “Two Butterflies.”
When “Terms of “Endearment” came about, he had just completed the Universal Writers Lab when he received a call. “My team asked if I saw the 1983 film and told me Lee Daniels was remaking it,” he says. “They needed a possible rewrite. I read the screenplay and loved his new take on the story.”
The film will center around a black family in the 1980s and 1990s, and Oprah Winfrey is in talks to play Shirley MacLaine’s iconic role. Dodson’s screenplay focuses on historically important factors within the Black community. He can’t discuss details yet, but “Little Richard” is a biopic on the Architect of Rock and Roll. Before anything else, “Two Butterflies” was the first feature Dodson tackled.
“I was a sophomore in college at the time, and it started the entire trajectory of my career.”
Dodson’s work paid off, Academy Award-winning actor Viola Davis is set to star, along with the possibility of Regina King.
“It’s about two sisters who went through this horrific tragedy,” says Dodson. “In the present day, they rebuild their relationship during a road trip; however, one sister has dementia. It’s about healing and attaining forgiveness from someone who has no recollection of the pain they caused. That’s a screenplay near and dear to my heart.”
Reps: Agent: Verve; Management: Alibi LA; Legal: Yom, Barnes, Levine
Influences: Michael Arndt, Michaela Coel, Lena Waithe
-Variety