Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to BuzzFeed Studios’ documentary “Brother Orange.”
The doc follows the story of Matt Stopera, a BuzzFeed founding editor, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his stolen phone becomes the catalyst for a 2015 BuzzFeed article that went viral. The film chronicles how Stopera tracks down ‘Brother Orange,’ a.k.a. Li Hongjun, who’s selfies taken next to orange trees begin appearing on the reporter’s ‘ iCloud feed a year after his phone was stolen.
Hongjun, who lives in China, ended up with Stopera’s stolen phone. The story received over 100 million views on social media, including over 70 million shares on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
In 2016, Variety reported that Jim Parsons was in talks to star as Stopera in the Warner Bros. narrative adaptation of the “Brother Orange” article, which never came to fruition.
The doc, directed and executive-produced by Abe Forman-Greenwald, follows Stopera and Hongjun’s nine-year friendship. The film, which has been in the works for several years, has also been optioned as a scripted feature.
“Ten years ago, I met the man I simply call ‘Bro,’ and what followed was beyond my imagination: multiple back-and-forths to China, a second family in a distant place, and a friend I will have forever,” says Stopera. “To me, friendship is built on shared experiences, and Bro and I have had some of the wildest experiences together. Despite our differences in culture, geography, and language, these moments have profoundly shaped my life.”
Forman-Greenwald adds, “The moment I read Matt Stopera’s post about the mysterious man who began showing up in his iPhone photos, I knew I wanted to follow him to China to see how this story might unfold. The origin of Matt and Brother Orange’s friendship was so improbable that I might not believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes (and one camera). This film will take viewers on the same unlikely journey that I got to see firsthand, one that changed me for the better and has become a big part of my life over the past decade. To borrow a popular Buzzfeed phrase, seeing Matt and Brother Orange’s unique bond grow deeper love time helped ‘restore my faith in humanity.’”
“Brother Orange” is the latest doc from BuzzFeed Studios. Previous documentaries that stemmed from in-house IP include “Follow This” (Netflix), “The Rise & Fall of LulaRoe” (Discovery+), and “Once Upon A Time in Londongrad” (Sky, NBCU). BuzzFeed Studios has also backed feature films like “Puppy Love” and “EXmas.” (Gravitas has international rights to BuzzFeed Studios’ “Exmas.”)
“This story of Matt and Brother Orange is a celebration of what makes the internet – and humanity – so special,” says “Brother Orange” exec producer and BuzzFeed Studio president Richard Alan Reid. “Their bond is as genuine today as it was when their lives first collided, and it’s a joy to revisit this friendship on the eve of its 10th anniversary. We’re excited to share the full story with viewers, offering a deeper look at the events that captivated the world.”
“Brother Orange” is slated for a Jan. 2025 release.
