Movie On Hushpuppi To Hit Airwaves, As Ebonylife TV, Universal Pictures Get Adaptation Rights

By Akinwale Kasali

Ramon Abass Igbalode, popularly known as Hushpuppi,  has become a household name, carving a niche for himself as an international cybercrime fraudster and a renowned Gucci ambassador.

The travails of Hushpuppi since his arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, leading to his extradition from the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America for cybercrime fraud have unravelled a lot of secrets about his fraudulent escapades and exposed his accomplices.

Investigation revealed that Hushpuppi was a second hand clothes trader in Lagos, who used his Instagram page to lure his potential victims with billionaire display of flamboyant lifestyle, before he became an international fraudster.

His life is about to hit the big screen.Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife TV, Universal Pictures, and Will Packer Productions have received the adaptation rights for a movie on Hushpuppi based on a Bloomberg story, “The Fall of the Billionaire Gucci Master.”

The action thriller movie is being set up by the trio after the collection of the adaptation which will be based on the Bloomberg story by Evan Ratiff.

The movie will detail how Hushpuppi carried out an internet scam and how he was caught by International police, which will be produced by  Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Studios in conjunction with Will Packer Productions.

Will Packer Productions is known for producing popular movies like Girls Trip and Night School.

“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,” Will Packer said in a 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,” Abudu added in her own statement.

It would be recalled that Hushpuppi attracted millions of followers with pictures of a glamorous jet-setting lifestyle with his Gucci designer outfits. He  was arrested in June 2020 by Dubai police amid claims of a £350 million cyberscam.

He is being detained as part of an investigation into money-laundering, cyber fraud, hacking and scamming.

He has pleaded guilty to his crimes, and could serve as long as 20 years in prison. He would, also, make restitution to the tune of $500,000 or more.