Selena's Family, Netflix Face Lawsuit Over Upcoming Biopic Series

The family of late iconic singer Selena Quintanilla and Netflix are facing a lawsuit over the upcoming show "Selena: The Series." 

Moctesuma Esparza, the producer of the 1997 Jennifer Lopez-starring film "Selena," sued the streaming giant and the singer's sister, Suzette, and father, Abraham, for $1 million in connection with the rights to Selena's life story, as per several reports.

According to a Fox News report, Esparza claimed he owns the rights to Selena's life story for future projects. He said Abraham signed an agreement in 1995, giving him rights to the singer's life story. 

Esparza alleged that the Quintanilla family broke the agreement, and Netflix ignored the rights he obtained, as per the court documents obtained by E! News.

The producer further noted that he and the family had also previously discussed to bring the story to television.

"Selena: The Series," starring Christian Serratos as the late singer, is set to be released on Dec. 4. It will chronicle the childhood of the Tejano singer to her rise to fame. 

The filmmaker told the Los Angeles Times in 1995 that he and the Quintanilla family came to an "unusual formal agreement" about the film, rather than seeking life rights. Esparza narrated that the family was offered final approval on the script.

But the suit stated that in 1998, life rights were secured when a discussion of a television production took place.

PEOPLE reported that Esparza filed a lawsuit for damages for breach of contract, claiming that he developed the idea for a television treatment of Selena's story, but it was never fully realized.

Ricard Chavira and Noemi Gonzales will play Abraham and Suzette in the upcoming Netflix series.

The 1997 "Selena" film earned Lopez a Golden Globe nomination for the role, with Edward James Olmos portraying Abraham. The Warner Bros. film made $35,281,794 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

In 1995, the legendary superstar was killed by her fan club's president named Yolanda Saldívar, in a motel in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. Selena's family worked with creator and executive producer Moisés Zamora in developing the new series.

Read more: "Selena: The Series"-Netflix Release Date, News, Cast, and Spoilers 

The logline for the show reads: "Before Selena became the Queen of Tejano Music, Selena Quintanilla was a young girl from Texas with big dreams and an even bigger voice."

In March, Selena's father opened up to PEOPLE about how their family wiil keep Selena's legacy alive. Abraham said he told his family that he would keep Selena's memory alive through her music.

"And 25 years later, I think we, as a family, accomplished that," Abraham added.

Meanwhile, Selena's sister said they can be fine, but when someone share where they were when the news came out about Selena's death, it becomes "very difficult."

Suzette noted that she had to dig deeper into her soul to figure out why and realized that it's their way to feel connected and share that feeling of lost.  

Read more: The Untold Truth About Selena Quintanilla: The Mexican Madonna