Hushpuppi, a social media influencer who actually scammed his followers, is getting a movie described as a cross between The Usual Suspects and Catch Me If You Can.
Will Packer and Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Studios are producing a biopic on Hushpuppi, also known by his real name Ramon Abbas, according to Deadline. The film will follow the Nigerian’s rise to scam artist heights to being found out, as detailed in Evan Ratliff’s article for Bloomberg, “The Fall of the Billionaire Gucci Master,” which the movie is based on. According to the article, Abbas pretended to live a high-profile, expensive life of luxury for Instagram. Meanwhile, he perfected an internet scam allowing him to launder millions.
He pled guilty to scamming, defrauding a businessman and many others out of tens of millions of dollars in July. His various charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and aggravated identity theft, could see him serving 20 years in federal prison.
Packer said in a statement how Abudu pitched him the “rich and entertaining” film concept ten months ago. The project, he said, was “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 that her production company “is uniquely positioned to ensure the depth and authenticity of this film. This is why we needed to partner with a major Hollywood producer like Will Packer Productions–they are equally invested in telling stories that resonate with our audiences.”
“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,” she continued.
