Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife TV in conjunction with Universal Pictures and Will Packer Productions have picked up the rights to a movie based on under fire Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas also known as Hushpuppi.
The movie would be based on the Bloomberg article that detailed the fall of Hushpuppi. Written by Evan Ratliff, the article is titled “The Fall of the Billionaire Gucci Master”.
According to the article, the authorities claim the Hushpuppi perfected a simple internet scam and laundered millions of dollars.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an untitled action thriller movie project is coming at Universal Pictures.
Will Packer and James Lopez will produce through their Will Packer Productions, while Mo Abudu produces for EbonyLife Studios.
ALSO READ: The Rise and Fall of Hushpuppi!
Mo Abudu took to her Instagram account to announce the news.
She wrote, “When the Hushpuppi story made headlines last year, I pitched the story idea to @willpowerpacker and James Lopez. They bought the idea and as headlined in this press release, together we won the rights to the Bloomberg article by Evan Ratliff mentioned above. The rights were won after a highly contested derby by several producers and is now set up at Universal Pictures,”
See the post below
In a statement released to press, Will Packer said,
“Ten months ago Mo pitched us a rich and entertaining concept steeped in Nigerian culture that can only be told with the help of her unique perspective. Together we knew Evan’s work was the definitive telling and the perfect anchor of this saga.”
Abudu also added in her statement ”We understand the environment of poverty and deprivation that breeds highly talented and fundamentally flawed characters like Hushpuppi, and WPP knows how to create stories with global appeal.”
Dubai police arrested Hushpuppi in the United Arab Emirates and then extradited him to the United States in 2020. The Instagram influencer is facing criminal charges in the US. He recently pled guilty to money laundering and other cyber schemes leading to his victims losing over $24 million.
Hushpuppi also defrauded a U.S. law firm of about $40M and illegally transferred $14.7M from a foreign financial institution.
