German broadcasters ZDF and ZDFneo are partnering with Berlin-based Pyjama Pictures to develop a high-end series about notorious scam artist Ruja Ignatova, also known as the Cryptoqueen and the most wanted woman on the planet.
Tentatively titled “Take the Money and Run,” the six-part series will tell the story of Ignatova, who shot to fame in 2014 with the launch of OneCoin, which she described as a cryptocurrency for the masses that promised enormous profits.
The Bulgarian-German Ignatova hyped the cryptocurrency at huge rallies and attracted millions buyers around the globe who invested billions of euros in OneCoin, believing claims that it would become the world’s biggest digital currency. Flush with cash, Ignatova threw lavish champagne parties and acquired luxury properties around the world. It was all a giant fraud, however.
Ignatova suddenly disappeared without a trace in 2017 after defrauding investors of an estimated $15 billion in what was described as one of the biggest scams in history and the largest capital fraud in Germany. Her whereabouts remain a mystery to this day.
Pyjama Pictures and ZDF are aiming to produce a series with international appeal, with a fictionalized account “closely based on true events.”
“The question of why plays a central role: What makes a highly intelligent woman with an Oxford degree and a successful job as a management consultant commit a billion-dollar fraud?” For the series’ creators, one thing is certain: the Cryptoqueen had a plan.
Boris von Sychowski, whose credits include ZDF crime drama “Kolleginnen,” and Judith Angerbauer (“Das Boot”) are creating and writing the series, with Adolfo J. Kolmerer (“Sløborn”) set to direct the production next year in international locations.
Joke Kromschröder, Katrin Weikart, Carsten Kelber and Frank Buchs are producing for Pyjama Pictures, with Elke Müller and Frank Zervos on board as commissioning editors for ZDF.
Established in 2020 by Carsten Kelber and actor-producer-entertainer Christian Ulmen (“Tatort”), Pyjama Pictures is a subsidiary of ProSiebenSat.1‘s Seven.One Studios. The company has enjoyed recent successes with its hit comedy series “Jerks” (starring Ulmen) and “Die Discounter.”
Ignatova is also the subject of Johan von Mirbach’s 2022 documentary “Cryptoqueen – The oneCoin Scam,” produced by Cologne and Hamburg-based A&O Buero for Franco-German channel Arte and regional German broadcaster WDR.
