BuzzFeed has taken over the internet with their listicles, quizzes, and in recent years, with their serious news coverage. Now, the company is looking to get into movies, as it was just revealed that BuzzFeed Motion Pictures is readying their first film, Brother Orange (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The movie will be based on a true, viral story that BuzzFeed itself generated, an experience that editor Matt Stopera had when he found out that a Chinese man had his stolen iPhone and decided to visit him. Stopera is executive producing the film alongside Ellen Degeneres and Ilana Glazer, who seem like perfect picks to bring this story to life: Degeneres should highlight the feel-good elements of this tale, while Broad City’s Glazer is well equipped to bring out the offbeat humor of this culture-clash situation.
All of this is also in partnership with Warner Bros., so BuzzFeed Motion Pictures will be going into this process with some experienced firepower behind it. The Los Angeles-based video arm of BuzzFeed is best known for web series like You Do You and The Try Guys, but they’ve been preparing to make movies since 2014, when they enlisted veteran producer Michael Shamberg as an adviser to help give them a leg to stand on in Hollywood.
In case you missed it the first time around (or just want to revisit), read the original (and truly amazing) story here, and let us know in the comments how well you think it will work in film form. Below, check out the story’s two main figures guest on Ellen.
Featured image: BuzzFeed
