Jim Parsons to star in 'Brother Orange' movie about China's internet phenom

LOS ANGELES -- Never has a stolen iPhone proved to be more fortuitous.

Back in 2014, BuzzFeed editor Matt Stopera had his iPhone stolen, and one year later pictures began appearing on his photo stream featuring a Chinese man posing in front of an orange tree.

Stopera wrote a series of stories about the mystery man, which quickly went viral in China, where it was shared by more than 100 million people. The man was dubbed "Brother Orange" by the online community, which helped Stopera track him down overseas.

Brother Orange turned out to be Li Hongjun, and not only did he and Stopera became international celebrities, they also became unlikely friends.

This summer, Warner Bros. teamed with BuzzFeed to develop a Brother Orange movie, and now that movie has a star, as Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) is nearing a deal to play Stopera, Mashable has confirmed. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film aims to explore the accidental friendship that transcended cultural divides.

Brother Orange will be executive produced by Ellen DeGeneres, who welcomed Stopera and Hongjun on her talk show. Stopera and his roommate, Broad City co-creator Ilana Glazer, will serve as executive producers with Jeff Kleeman, while Parsons and his producing partner Todd Spiewak are joining Michael Shamberg and Matthew Henick as producers.

Parsons has won four Emmy Awards for playing Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, and he has a key role opposite Taraji P. Henson and Kevin Costner in the space race drama Hidden Figures.

So the next time you have your iPhone stolen, don't fret. You might just get a movie deal out of it, and the highest-paid TV star in the world could be playing you.