EbonylIfe Studios and Will Packer, a US film company, have secured rights to make a movie out of Bloomberg’s article, ‘The Fall of the Billionaire Gucci Master’ based on incarcerated Nigerian fraudster, Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi. Mo
Confirming the new partnership, Ebonylife boss, Mo Abudu revealed in an Instagram post that she pitched the story idea to Will Packer productions in 2020.
“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”.
Will Packer in a statement also disclosed that “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”.
Mo Abudu also added in the statement that “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”.
Well, the untitled project is set to be an action thriller detailing the Evan Ratliff written article on how Hushpuppi was nabbed by the American government for laundering millions of dollars. It will be produced by James Lopez for Will Packer and Abudu for Ebonylife.
The thriller will reportedly be a hybrid of Steven Spielberg’s 2002 pseudo biographical crime film, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and Bryan Singer’s 1995 neo-noir mystery thriller film, ‘The Usual Suspects’.
Hushpuppi’s arrest in the United Arab Emirates and subsequent extradition to the United States made major headlines in 2020. The embattled Instagram influencer recently pled guilty to money laundering and other cyber and business email compromise schemes leading to his victims losing over $24 million.
- Tokyo 2020: Nigerian athlete, Enekwechi washes his ‘only’ jersey ahead of shot-put finals
- Stop portraying Igbos as ritualists – Praiz Sam to Nollywood movie writers
Mo Abudu joins the Oscars
Speaking of the Nigerian filmmaker, Mo Abudu, it is worth noting that she has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, (Oscars), as one of 29 producers, and the only African and Nigerian in this category.
Abudu, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson of EbonyLife Media, which includes EbonyLife TV, EbonyLife Studios, among others, has been described by Forbes as “Africa’s Most Successful Woman”.
She is listed by the US magazine Business Insider amongst the top 100 business visionaries creating value for the world and rated as one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television” by The Hollywood Reporter.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, Abudu said her passion for telling African stories is unrivaled.
“My passion has always been about telling our own true African stories, and this includes how African people and our stories are represented on the continent and globally.
“This international recognition, for which I am truly grateful, is also a sign of a shift that has begun, an acknowledgment that Africa has a robust, progressive, and burgeoning industry, filled with universal stories, with global reach.
“When I began EbonyLife TV, and later EbonyLife Films and EbonyLife Studios, my vision was that it would be more than just entertainment, but it would aim to realize African audiences’ desires to see a narrative that reflected our own stories”.
Mo Abudu
Read also: HushPuppi Snitches – More Nigerians in Dubai to be arrested by Interpol for FBI
