‘Big Bang Theory’ prequel stars ‘little Sheldon Cooper’

Jim Parsons has won four Emmy Awards for his role as Sheldon Cooper in “The Big Bang Theory.”AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck

A prequel of the hit CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” is coming soon, and a budding child actor will breathe life to the role of the “junior” Sheldon Cooper.

According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, 8-year-old Ian Armitage was eyed to star as the younger version of Jim Parsons’ lead character in the spin-off titled “Sheldon.” Armitage rose to fame when he starred in HBO’s “Little Big Lies” and appeared in Steve Harvey’s reality kids’ show “Little Big Shots.”

READ: ‘Big Bang Theory’ actors pay cuts for female co-stars

Parsons will executive-produce the show along with co-creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and show runner Steve Molaro. “Sheldon” will train the spotlight on Sheldon’s interesting childhood as a 10-year-old growing up in Texas with his siblings, a devout Evangelical Christian mother and a drunkard father.

Meanwhile, actress Zoe Perry was tapped to play Sheldon’s mother, Mary Cooper. During the original show, the role was played by Perry’s real-life mother, Emmy-nominated actress Laurie Metcalf. “Sheldon” will air 13 episodes in its pilot season.

Recently, “The Big Bang Theory” co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch, who plays Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette Wolowitz, have secured pay hikes after seeking pay parity with their male counterparts.

“The Big Bang Theory” is currently going strong in its 10th season, narrates the topsy-turvy lives of geek scientists  Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter (Johny Galecki) and their fellow science enthusiasts in Calfornia.  Gianna Francesca Catolico /ra