Movie mogul Mo Abudu has addressed those criticizing her for a new movie she’d be co-producing on embarrassed Ramon Abbass, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
The yet-to-be-titled project is said to be an action thriller hybrid of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and Bryan Singer’s ‘The Usual Suspects’.
Explaining why it is necessary to create the movie, the EbonyLife Studio boss said; “Firstly, there are many lessons to be learnt from good and bad stories.
“Secondly, if we do not tell this story, someone else will and to ensure that this story is told with authenticity, a Nigerian storyteller with our pedigree needs to be involved.
“Too often, these types of characters are one-dimensional and feed into the worst stereotypes. Hushpuppi’s story is based on a real person whose story is already partly known to the world, but the film gives us a real chance to tell a cautionary tale about a character formed by his environment and life choices.
“The films of Martin Scorsese are a great example of a filmmaker telling richly layered stories of criminal characters from his heritage that we’ve all grown to love, without ever creating the impression that all Italian-Americans are members of the mafia. Needless to say, all Nigerians are not 419 scam artists.”
Mo Abudu and America’s Will Packer will be co-producing the movie, which is expected to detail the arrest of Nigerian social media influencer Hushpuppi.
In the press statement sent to the media when the announcement of the movie was made, she stated that “EbonyLife 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 Huspuppi, and WPP knows how to create stories with global appeal.”
As stated by Will Packer in the press release, “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.”