Brother Orange, an international story of friendship and a bona fide online phenomenon, is getting the big screen treatment.

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, confirming that Warner Bros. and BuzzFeed are joining forces for the feature, which is based on Matt Stopera’s titular BuzzFeed article about a stolen iPhone that spawned a worldwide search for selfies, iCloud feeds and orange trees.

The story goes that, two years ago, Stopera’s mobile was stolen at a New York bar, leading the writer and DJ to trace the digital footprints of a mysterious thief all the way to China. It didn’t take long before the globetrotting search went viral – such is the Internet way – leading to spike of 20 million views in only 24 hours.

Fast forward to the point where Stopera was united with the Chinese man, who he aptly dubbed Brother Orange due to his tendency for taking selfies beside fruit trees, and Stopera and his newfound friend become online celebrities, appearing on Ellen – incidentally, DeGeneres will hold an executive producer credit on the movie – and other shows.

Boasting experience across Pulp Fiction and Erin Brockovich, Michael Shamberg and Matthew Henick will spearhead the feature film at BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, with Brother Orange acting as the studio’s inaugural feature-length picture.

No word yet on when Brother Orange will enter production at Warner Bros. and BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. Although, as always, we’ll keep you posted as it inches closer to development.

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